


The Princess Towers

by AsakuraX, Eternal_Love_Song, Ziven



Series: Dungeons & Deviants [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Dark Elves, Developing Friendships, Draeni, Elves, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Fantasy, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Magic, Monster Girls, Slavery, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2019-11-08 19:23:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17987165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsakuraX/pseuds/AsakuraX, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Love_Song/pseuds/Eternal_Love_Song, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziven/pseuds/Ziven
Summary: Vixna, a draeni mage with her dark elf companion, Nagaira, is on a journey to rescue the Princesses across the land that have been trapped in Towers. They are quickly joined by Arre, a wood elf with dreams of being the greatest hero, her dark elf companion, Saeryn, and her loyal wolf, Nyx. Their first destination, the Tower of Aried.





	1. They Meet Under Duress

**Author's Note:**

> This was based off a combination of Dungeons and Deviants and Dungeons and Dragons. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Public Humiliation, Public Nudity, and Noncon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vixna needs a hero to get her out of a tough spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was based off a combination of Dungeons & Deviants and Dungeons & Dragons. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Public Humiliation, Public Nudity, and Noncon in the first scene.

Vixna had made a mistake.

Well, it wasn't a mistake, per se. A mistake implied that being locked in a stockade was in her control. It wasn't. There are very few ways to avoid angels, especially one that specifically hunts your kind. It was also difficult to bluff your way around someone that already had a grudge. Losing the ensuing battle also wasn't her fault. Trying to win said battle, that was her fault. In hindsight, she should have tried to run, though there was no guarantee that that would have worked either.

Vixna squirmed briefly, trying to pull out of her bonds. It didn't work of course, but it was difficult to keep entirely still. She had been stripped by the guards before being shoved into the stockade and being naked before a crowd of strangers made her antsy. Who would have thought?

A hand grabbed her hair, pulling her head up to look at the crowd. She couldn't move her head enough to see exactly how many were around her, but she could hear the movement of the guards on either side of her, see those that watched her. She pressed her legs together, trying to shrink in on herself as much as possible.

"People of Oroan," the angel called out, "Gaze upon the face of a heretic." The tight grip he had on her hair pulled painfully at her scalp and she hissed sharply. "You all know the punishment for calling upon the forbidden arts! Let this be a gentle reminder for you. Should you sin, the church can and will find you."

The angel released her hair and stepped back. He made a gesture, but she scarcely had a moment to contemplate what it meant before something hard and flat slammed against her backside. She cried out, the noise of the crowd raising as if in response. The paddle smacked against her again and again, setting a quick, hard pace.

The angel knelt beside her, cupping her face in his hands. His eyes were dark as they met hers, his hair long and silver, and his skin a whitewashed blue. His wings were folded against his back to avoid blocking the view of her. "Chin up, dear. Bear your punishment with grace and humility, and you may yet find forgiveness."

She looked into the crowd to avoid his gaze. They were avid watchers, some excited, some perturbed. In the shadows she could spot her companion, Nagaira. Nagaira would have a plan to rescue her, she was sure, but there were too many people for her to act now. She would likely have to wait for nightfall and that meant Vixna would have to endure this punishment in the meantime.

The angel smiled at her, beautiful and wicked. His wings spread wide as he stood. He signaled for the paddling to cease. Her rear was sore and aching, hot when the rest of her skin felt cold. Worst of all was the wanton throb between her legs. The angel's eyes burned as if he could see straight through her to the pool of desire that burned shamefully hot in her.

He looked over her head, to the guards. "You'll see to it that she won't be a repeat offender, won't you?"

"Of course, Sire!"

"Very good." The angel moved close to Vixna once more, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead. "Earn your forgiveness, dear," he whispered to her. He stepped back, smiling at her before flying up into the air and disappearing into a blinding light.

Once the angel was gone, the guards surrounded her. One hand stroked her sore bottom and Vixna bit her lip to contain the whimper that wished to escape. Hands stroked her sides, her thighs, groped at her breast, and grabbed at her hips. She whimpered, not in pain, but in pleasure. The attention had her quickly panting and she didn't fight the hand that moved up her thigh and between her legs.

She was wet, it was immediately apparent. Hot and dripping down her thighs. One of the guards chuckled as he slipped his fingers between her folds. She gasped, whined, closed her eyes against the feelings threatening to overtake her.

The crowd was becoming more rowdy. There was a dull roar of chatter, boors and jeers melded together into an indistinguishable mess.

One of the guards moved in front of her. "Draeni." His voice was low, but he was close enough that she could hear him over the crowd. "The church is more than willing to absolve you of your sins. But first, why don't you show us some hospitality?" he asked, absently stroking himself over his pants.

Vixna pressed her lips together tightly. She was not keen on being very hospitable, particularly not while locked in the stocks and in front of a crowd. He nodded at one of the guards, and the hands probing her sex were replaced with an eager tongue, lapping greedily at her and causing her squirm and squeal. Her face burned with embarrassment and hands locked down on her thighs, keeping her from moving away.

He reached for his belt when an arrow thudded against the stockade, nicking his arm in the process. The guard turned, leaping from the platform and drawing his blade. "Who goes there? Halt in the name of the Church!" He was met with utter silence. The guard pushed his way into the crowd, shoving through with the flat of his sword before he grunted, stumbling back before falling over, an arrow buried in his shoulder.

Immediately there was an explosion of chaos. The crowd largely dispersed, fleeing as the remaining guards left Vixna to attend their fallen comrade. Passersby drawn in by the new noise of the crowd joined to see what the fuss was about. The screams of the crowd and the shouts of the guards were peppered with the thud of arrows and, oddly enough, animistic growls. She was newly aware of how naked and vulnerable she was. If a stray arrow hit her there was little to nothing that she could do to protect herself.

She jumped as something touched her hand, but the following whisper put her again at ease. "My lady," Nagaira said softly. Vixna couldn't yet see her, but in short order she was released from her prison. Nagaira was gentle as she helped Vixna support her weight. "Let's get you out of here."

"Thank you, Nagaira," Vixna breathed out.

* * *

 

With arrows flying overhead and her wolf's snarls ringing through the area, the crowd had quickly dispersed. Arre plucked another arrow from her quiver, holding it against her bow as she surveyed the area. The guards that hadn't been run off had been shot down, though she'd been careful not to kill any of them. Her entire point was to stop the humiliation of the draeni. She looked to the stockade and was surprised to find that it was empty and the girl was gone.

"Wha? Where'd she go?" she exclaimed.

"She escaped during the fight," a voice said softly behind her. Arre turned to find Saeryn, her dark elf companion, wiping her twin blades on an unconscious guard before sheathing them at the belt adorning her hips. The belt covered the most of Saeryn of all her clothing, leaving thin, black, fabric covering little more than her essentials. She moved closer to Arre, gold bands jingling on her arms, a beautiful contrast against her brown skin. Saeryn pushed waves of long silver hair over one shoulder as she turned bright yellow eyes to her and asked, "What now, Arre?"

Arre frowned briefly as she slung her bow over her shoulder. She knelt and reached for her wolf, which came to her side to receive the petting she offered. "Maybe we should go find her. She might be hurt.

Her wolf snarled at her. _"You just think she's attractive and hope that she will mate with you as a reward,"_ Nyx scoffed.

"Do not!" Arre objected.

 _"You could not convince me otherwise,"_ Nyx insisted.

Arre growled at her wolf. "You ungrateful little--"

Saeryn attempted to stifle her laughter. She couldn't understand the wolf the way Arre could, but the banter between wood elf and wolf was more often than not amusing to watch. Arre always said that it should not be so funny to watch her argue with a wolf, but Saeryn was sure that it was because she was embarrassed for losing those fights. Saeryn knelt to scratch Nyx behind the ears, which was her weakness. "You'll help Arre, won't you, Nyx?"

Nyx let her tongue roll out of her mouth in pleasure. _"I suppose if Saeryn ask, I can do that."_

Arre stared, dumbfounded. "Traitor. You're my companion! You should do it because I asked you!" She tugged Saeryn back to her feet, knowing Nyx wouldn't move until the petting stopped or she was satisfied. "Lead the way, girl."

Nyx huffed at being interrupted, but shook herself and began sniffing around the stockade for a scent to follow.

* * *

 

Nyx's trail led them into the slums, to one run down house in particular. The roof sagged, caved in at parts. Arre would have assumed that it was abandoned had Nyx not insisted that this was where the trail ended. She knocked on the door, causing it to creek open.

The draeni was there, sitting on the floor at the back of the room. She looked better than she had earlier, healthier, and she was clothed this time. Her skin was a soft pink, with blue tattoos circling her wrist and ankles. Her thick black horns were curved over her head, cradling it, the tips nearly meeting her temples, and her long white hair hung down her back. There was an open cloak hanging loosely off of her shoulders, disturbed only by a tail moving restlessly behind her, a white sleeveless top clinging to her ample chest, and a long black skirt hanging just above her ankles. Her dark eyes were wide with surprise as they met Arre's.

The eye contact only lasted a moment before a dark elf stood before her, a blade to Arre's neck, effectively blocking her view of the draeni. The elf had sharp, dark eyes, dark grey skin, and pointed ears poking out of long, powder blue hair. "Give me one reason not to strike you down where you stand."

Nyx bristled at Arre's side, growling at the dark elf.

Arre put her hands up, stepping back. "I'm not here to fight!" she said quickly. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay."

"It's okay, Nagaira," the draeni said. "I am feeling much better. You can let them in."

The dark elf watched them for a moment longer before dropping the blade to her side and retreating to the dreani's side. She stood, watching them curiously. She was prettier up close, offering them a smile. "I am Vixna." She gestured to the dark elf beside her. "This is my protective companion, Nagaira. Were you responsible for the... commotion earlier?"

"That was me," Arre answered. Her brow began to furrow. "I can't stand those sorts of actions. I don't even know what you might have done, but there's no reason to publicly... humiliate you like that."

Laughter slipped through Vixna's lips. "Clearly you aren't familiar with the church."

Arre gave her a blank stare. "The church?"

Vixna gave her a wry smile. Her head tilted as her gaze traveled over Arre, noting her yellow skin and piercing blue eyes. Her red hair hung loose around her face, ears poking out through the strands. "You're an elf. It makes sense that you might be surprised by such a thing. In a lot of places, magic is frowned upon, and the Church can be very enthusiastic in capturing and punishing those that use the arts."

"That's insane!"

Vixna shrugged. "That's the Theocracy. It's no worse than the slavery and discrimination dark elves suffer," she added, her gaze lingering on Saeryn standing quietly behind Arre. "Unfortunate that it puts me at a disadvantage when protecting Nagaira."

Arre's eyes widened when she realized what the draeni was implying. "I- I'm not... She's not my slave! She's my friend! Just like how Nagaira is to you."

"Pretty words when you fail to even introduce her," Nagaira said, watching them carefully.

"I'm Arre. This is my friend Saeryn," she gestured to the dark elf before kneeling beside her wolf, burying fingers in the fur. "This here is Nyx."

"Nice to meet you," Saeryn said quietly.

Vixna nodded to the elves before her. "It's nice to meet you all, as well, and thank you for saving me. Not many would, not around here."

Arre relaxed against Nyx, smoothing the fur between her fingers. "It's no problem at all. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Why did you come looking for her?" Nagaira interjected, sheathing her blade and crossing her arms. "You'd already interfered in their humiliation and had to have seen that she'd escaped."

"I just wanted to be sure she was okay," Arre said, exasperated. "Anything could have happened. A guard could have snuck her away, or something worse could have happened. I needed to know she was safe."

Vixna let out a giggle. "My hero," she said playfully. "Is that what you do, run around saving people?"

Arre blushed. "Actually, kinda..."

Vixna's eyes lit up and her smile widened. "In that case, maybe you'd be interested in helping me?"

"My lady, no!" Nagaira objected, turning to face her companion. "We don't even know them."

"I think they've demonstrated good intentions," Vixna said. "And if worse comes to worst, I've got you to protect me."

Nagaira frowned, but she pressed her lips together tightly and stayed silent.

Arre's watched the aside with wide eyes and asked, "What do you need help with?"

"I've got a mission of my own," Vixna answered. "A rescue mission, you could say. There have been princesses being locked in Towers, it's been happening all over the place. They've been kidnapped and locked up and no one has been able to do anything about it... yet. I intend to go across the land and free them all. There's a tower not too far outside of this town and I plan to go there to set the captive free. If you're really interested in playing hero, you can feel free to lend me a hand."

"Yes!" Arre agreed, quickly and loudly. She smiled widely, her entire body radiating excitement.

 _"Don't look now, but your tail is wagging,"_ Nyx barked.

Arre turned to glare at her. "Is not!"

Vixna gave her a bemused smile. Nagaira looked entirely unimpressed.

Saeryn took a hesitant step forward, but kept herself behind Arre. "Arre has a goal, as well," she explained softly. "She want to help people and she wants to be a great hero. The greatest hero."

Arre rubbed the back of her head as she blushed. "I would love to help you. And I really love that helping you will lead to helping even more people. So I would love to join you on your quest."

Vixna smiled. "I would be grateful to have the help. Now, let's get out of here. I don't think anyone owns this shack, but I'd rather not stick around too long."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is welcome and appreciated.


	2. They Make A Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vixna goes into detail about her rescue plans.

Arre watched as Nagaira slipped out of the shack they'd sought refuge in, looking for any guards that may have been dispatched to capture her lady. The dark elf nodded once to Vixna, who gathered her cloak around herself and stepped out, followed closely by her companion. Saeryn stood at her side, squeezing the elf's hand once before turning to look at Nyx.

 _"Not sure what you're waiting on, hero,"_ the wolf said before following the draeni. Saeryn made to follow before Arre placed a hand on her shoulder, fishing a cloak out of her belongings with her other hand.

"For protection," she said, handing the cloak to her friend with a grin. Saeryn returned the smile with a small one of her own.

Standing on the other side of the doorway, Arre's nose wrinkled. The slums reeked and she noticed that the slums were even more run down than she thought after following Vixna's trail.

The wood that made up the lean-tos were rotted through, looking as if all that held them together was hope and desperation. Most of the windows were simply areas of the paper-thin walls that had fallen apart, leaving wide gaps for breezes to cut through. She hoped that perhaps more of them were empty but expected that the only thing empty were the stomachs hidden behind each door.

She followed along, hoping that something bright might catch her eye to distract her and found that, aside from the russet color of her wolf and the white hair of the two dark elves with her, there was no vibrancy here. The colors all looked bleached and dull, and that combined with the lack of people out and about, even at this time of day unsettled Arre.

Arre had only been in the area a few days and only in the city less than a full day, but she knew that the Expanse was home to the monster girls, and Oroan was one of the largest cities in the area. True to expectations, she'd seen more monster girls than anything else in the city. There were merrows in the rivers that separated the districts, tengus perched on some of the more stable roofs and beastkin wandering everywhere. She saw none of that in the slum district.

Vixna strolled down the main street, head held high, back straight, and cloak pulled tight around her, hiding her silhouette from onlookers. Nagaira easily fell in step behind the draeni, appraising everything with a watchful eye, likely still on the lookout for anything that might cause trouble. As an afterthought, Arre figured that Nagaira must have thought that she was trouble.

Meanwhile, Vixna marched along, seemingly unfazed by everything around her. Arre noticed that she didn't flinch when they passed the stockade, though it hadn't been the one she'd been trapped in, nor did she seem to be worried when they passed the guardhouse. Several cobblestones were missing, yet Vixna maneuvered without missing a beat, seemingly oblivious to the squalid living conditions around them.

Moving into the low district was almost as if she had moved into another world entirely. The houses looked like actual houses and there were shops and even a few monster girls out and about. Arre noticed a pair of friendly kitsune cooing at Nyx beside her and she wondered how much preening she would have to listen to because of the attention. Further along, a siren winked at her, and briefly Arre wondered if she should come back after dark.

It was at this point that Arre thought to ask, "Where are we going?"

"The Inn in the Residential District," Vixna answered brightly. "That's where we're staying. It was fairly empty when we arrived, so we shouldn't have to worry about a crowd."

The Residential District was stunning to say the least, at least by Arre's standards. She spared a glance at Saeryn and knew immediately that the dark elf was both amazed by the splendor and also understandably nervous. Her eyes darted from door to door, and Arre slowed her pace to match her friend, catching her hand underneath her cloak and gently squeezing. Saeryn's eyes turned onto the elf and, after seeing who held her hand, relaxed visibly. Nyx sidled up to her other side, brushing against her leg.

They passed larger, stately houses painted in vivid colors, some with small gardens in the yards. There were even more shops and Arre could even smell warm bread and roasted meat that made her mouth water at the idea of getting a bite to eat. She passed many of her elven brethren, travelers like her from areas just outside of the Expanse.

Satisfied that Nyx was there to stay by Saeryn for the time being, Arre pushed her pace to catch up to Vixna. Nagaira tensed at her approach, not hiding her distaste in the slightest. She elected to ignore the dark elf for now. "You seem to know your way around," Arre said.

Vixna turned to smile at her. "I actually don't, not that well, but I explored a little when I first arrived. If I ever do get lost, Nagaira always puts me back on track."

A small smile graced Nagaira's lips as she answered, "You do not make it difficult for me."

Vixna laughed. "That's good to hear. I worry that I'm too much of a handful."

"A handful, yes, but one I am glad to handle."

It was the first smile Arre had seen Nagaira give and it was certainly the friendliest she'd been. She took another look at the wood elf and her face melted back into disdain.

They turned a corner and Vixna turned to gesture behind her. "Here we are!" The Aluminum Wench Inn was large. The inn was painted a dark purple, causing it to stand out among the surrounding area. Above the door, a metal sign with the silhouette of a serving girl hung, likely the eponymous 'Aluminum Wench'. A kitsune watering the flowers greeted the group with a bright smile as they passed her, and Vixna waved at the sluggish naga behind the front desk, who halfheartedly waved back.

There was only one guest in the common area on the main floor and they passed no one on their way up the stairs. The inn was clean and well decorated, with paintings hung on the walls outside the rooms. At the top of the stairs, Vixna paused in front of the first door, holding it open for the party.

"Make yourself comfortable," Vixna told Arre and Saeryn, removing her cloak and hanging it beside the door.

The room was large, not surprising considering how big the inn itself had seemed. There were two beds on opposite walls, both made up as if they hadn't been slept in. There was a desk pushed against the back wall, cluttered with papers and a lantern. Taking up most of the space in the center of the room was a large round table.

Vixna managed to snag an errand boy and pressed a few copper pieces into his grip, asking for a pitcher of fresh water. The boy's eyes brightened and he skipped off to do what the draeni asked of him. While she waited, she gestured to the two chairs in the room, silently offering them to Arre and Saeryn. The two sat side-by-side, and Nyx plopped her head in Arre's lap, and she absently scratched the wolf's ear.

Nagaira took her post leaning beside the door. The boy returned with the water, and Vixna accepted it gratefully, immediately pouring the pitcher into a few cups kept in the room, passing one to both Arre and Saeryn.

The dark elf accepted her water with murmured thanks, but Arre instead focused on Vixna, who moved on to collect papers from the desk. "What can you tell us about your mission?" Arre asked her.

Vixna brought over a small map. It didn't show the entire continent of Aruel, but it did show the surrounding area. Perhaps half of The Expanse could been seen and Arre found herself leaning forward to get a closer look.

 

Vixna pointed to a marker on the map. "This is Oroan," she said. She traced a diagonal line a short distance away. "And this is the Tower where the Princess is being kept. It's approximately three days away, in the middle of Aried territory. It's likely that we'll have to fight our way through, and once inside we'll have to contend with whoever is holding the Princess against her will."

Arre sat back from the table, a furrow digging into her brow. "And who is holding the Princess?" she asked.

Vixna frowned, placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head. "That's where my knowledge ends. I don't know what we'll face once we get inside, including who holds the Tower or even anything about the Princess." She looked up to meet Arre's gaze. "I'll be honest, this wasn't my first choice for a Tower seize, but Solfiel threw off my plan. Now that I'm here, I can't just leave without doing anything. It wouldn't sit right with me, you know?"

Arre glanced at Saeryn, who'd caught her lip between her teeth and chewed absently. She noticed the wood elf's gaze and gave her a reassuring smile.

Arre sat up, clicking once with her tongue, and Nyx moved to place her head in Saeryn's lap, and the dark elf wove her fingers through the wolf's russet hair. "Alright then. Tell me what you do know."

Vixna gave her another, more relaxed smile. "The arieds are numerous, but not strong. They stand about waist high with two horns. They are known to charge and have a tendency to bite things they find unfamiliar. Alone they aren't much of an issue, but the danger is in their numbers. It won't help that we'll be in their territory." She spared Nagaira a look, who nodded imperceptibly. "There's also been word that there have been karpoi spotted in that area. They tend to use flutes and play music. Could be a problem for you if what they say about wood elves and their senses are true. I'm sure that with all of us together, we should be able to deal with that."

Nagaira shifted towards the newcomers, narrowing her eyes. "To that end, we need to know what you can do to help us."

Arre's fingers rested comfortably on her bow. "As you might know, I can talk to most animals, though I haven't tried talking to Arieds before. I'm agile and there's very little I can't get into. I'm also a good shot. I've got a mount wandering out there, plus Nyx always fights by my side. She can hold her own, of that I have no doubt. Saeryn however, is the most impressive of us all," she finished, grinning widely at her companion.

Saeryn blushed, ducking her head against flash of her friend's teeth. "Please, Arre, I'm not worthy of such praise."

Arre and Nyx huffed in stereo. "Please. You say that every time, and you're wrong every time. You deserve twice the praise."

"Really Arre, please--,"

"How do you fight, Saeryn?" Vixna asked.

It was Nagaira who answered, staring at Saeryn as if seeing her in a whole new light. "She is a Blade Dancer. It is an art held in high regard among the dark elves."

Saeryn looked at Nagaira with wide eyes, surprised that the dark elf was so aware of her, and causing her to stutter. "I-it's true. I c-carry a sp-special p-pair of swords."

"Which she is a master with," Arre added.

Saeryn's face flushed. "A-Arre..."

"That's amazing!" Vixna exclaimed. "It sounds like a sight. I can't wait to see it."

"And what about you and Nagaira?" Arre questioned.

"Nagaira prefers stealth," Vixna said. "And you already know that I practice the arts, but I know how to handle a weapon, as well." Vixna held out her arm, showing off the blue tattoo wrapped around her wrist. Up close, Arre could tell that it was some sort of language, but she couldn't read it. "In an emergency, I have these. These tattoos are spells saved on my skin. I can used them at any time and if I plan well, they really come in handy. Even if I became completely drained of mana, as long as I have the right arcane ritual written here, I'm never completely helpless."

"Wow," Arre said softly, leaning forward to examine the tattoos a little more closely. "That's impressive."

Vixna preened at the praise. "Thanks."

"Do you think that you will be up to task?" Nagaira asked. "Given the conditions that we are aware of?" She looked at them both closely.

Saeryn looked to Arre, ready to accept whatever decision she made. Arre looked down at the map, thinking over what she'd been told. Finally, she looked up at Nagaira, defiance in her eyes as she said, "Yes, we will."

Nagaira nodded at them and took a few steps back. "I hope that proves to be true."


	3. Journey to the Tower (Day 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party leave Oroan and bond on their first night on the road.

When Nagaira awoke the next day, Vixna was already awake and dressing for the journey.

"Good morning, my lady," Nagaira spoke around the yawn that threatened to spill from her lips. She wondered if her lady had bothered to sleep at all, but one glance at her untouched bed told the story without her having to ask.

"Good morning to you, too," Vixna responded brightly, looking over some of her skirts.

Nagaira stretched before leaving the comfort of the bed, snatching some fruit from the table to eat hurriedly. "Deciding on your attire for our journey?" she asked.  
The draeni nodded, her horns bobbing with the motion. "It seems like the smart idea would be to wear more sensible clothing for our travel, but it's all so...drab." She held up her trousers to show Nagaira. "These are so plain. No color or style!"

Nagaira hid a grin around the last of the fruit. "Whatever will you do about your situation?"

Vixna huffed as she began to pull the trousers over her legs. "I will suffer through. But when we return, I am going to find more appealing gear for our travels." She tugged her blouse overhead, then looked herself over in the mirror. The draeni clicked her tongue in disappointment before tying the blouse under her chest, showing off her figure. She nodded in approval, grabbing her cloak and draping it over her shoulders.

"Dressing for the occasion?" Nagaira intoned dryly. She effortlessly strapped herself into her well-worn armor.

Vixna gathered the remaining clothing into her bag and approached the door. "It will be very warm. It would be most unfortunate to overheat during our travels, and I would hate to be a damper on our journey." The pair made their way to the main floor of the inn, where Vixna briefly greeted the naga, whose tail sleepily flicked at her, the only sign that the naga had even heard her. The two stood outside the inn, waiting on their new companions to arrive.

"Sure it isn't because you were hoping to get a favorable response out of our...new ally?" Nagaira's voice became flat as she spoke.

Vixna was tempted to make a light comment, but Nagaira's concerns were not unfounded, so she decided against undermining them with levity, even if she wanted to make her friend smile. The draeni stretched casually. "I wouldn't be opposed to such a response, if it were given."

"We're here!" Arré called out as she arrived, Saeryn and Nyx at her side. She seemed excited and bright eyed, not at all tired despite the early hour. Nagaira turned to them, nodding to Saeryn, who offered a shy smile in return.

Vixna turned to face the group, casually brushing her cloak aside. "Wonderful morning for a journey, isn't it?" she asked with a grin.

Arré's eyes traveled the draeni, her gaze lingering of the exposed expanse of pink skin. "Um, yeah. Wonderful...for traveling." Vixna's grin only grew wider, her eyes flashing in satisfaction.

Nyx shoved her way past her master, snapping Arré out of her daze. She growled at Arré, which caused her to glare at the wolf.

"Shut up," the elf grumbled. "No one asked you anyways."

Vixna giggled at Arré, embarrassment and defiance etched on her face. She glanced at Saeryn, who watched the pair with a knowing gaze, and wondered if it would be worth it to use magic to eavesdrop on the pair. "We should get going. We have a long way to go."

Arré nodded. "We're almost ready." She faced the gate, looking over her shoulder. "We have one more addition to our party to pick up."

Nagaira's expression tightened. "Explain," she said shortly.

An impish grin crossed the elf's face. "You'll see."

* * *

  
The area outside of Oroan was a sea of grass, sparsely dotted with trees. The Expanse was a grassland and it didn't offer much of an interesting view, except for the occasional patch of flowers.

Nagaira stopped outside the gate. "Alright, Elf. Who else is joining us?"

Arré knelt and touched the ground briefly, a grin playing over her lips. She pulled her hair over one shoulder, then held a finger to her lips. "Go ahead, Nyx." Immediately the wolf threw her head back and howled, the sound bouncing off the walls of the city and out into the empty area.

Nagaira's hand drifted to grip her sword, but Saeryn stood before her, shaking her head briefly. The dark elf paused, and Vixna moved next to Arré. "What was that?" she asked, curiosity coating her face.

A moment later, a howl echoed back to the party. Arré's grin broke into a smile. "That, my friend, is my ride."

* * *

 

The rest of the day was uneventful. Vixna made a few attempts at conversation with Saeryn that faded out quickly and still hadn't decided that using her magic to talk to Nyx was the best idea right now. The rest of the time was spent in wonder that Arré's mount was a direwolf, though Vixna noticed that Arré insisted that Saeryn ride, while the elf walked with Nyx. Nagaira, in the meantime, spent most of the time ahead of the party, scouting the land ahead.

The sun had begun to go down when Nagaira called out, "I think we've made good progress for the day, milady. We should settle and make camp."

Vixna stood next to her friend. "Sounds good to me," she told her. She held her bag out to the dark elf. "You pitch the tent and I'll start the fire?"

Nagaira chuckled as she took the bag. "If you insist. One of these days though, I'll make you do the hard work."

"Today is not that day, I see." Vixna turned and saw Arré watching Nagaira in disbelief. The draeni considered that not everyone got to see the lighter side of her companion and would find it hard to believe she could laugh and crack jokes when she was so busy scowling and looming menacingly. She offered Arré a smile and shifted so the elf could get another look at her body and admired the blush that dusted her cheeks.

"Nyx and I will go hunting," Arré declared. "You'll be okay with the tent, Saeryn?"

"I'll manage," Saeryn answered with an easy smile.

Arré gave her friend a smile and a wink. "We'll be back shortly." She patted her mount on the snout as he lay beside the area Saeryn had chosen for the tent. "Let's go, Nyx." Arré knelt, running her fingers over the ground, her ears twitching almost imperceptibly. In a flash, the pair took off in what seemed to be a random direction. Vixna had never been hunting before, so she was curious as to why Arré chose the direction she did.

Vixna turned to her own work, picking a spot that was mostly clear, making a simple hand gesture, and reciting the short spell to create a bonfire. She smiled at her work, placing her hands on her hips as she watched the two dark elves with their task. She could offer to help, but Nagaira was efficient enough to make her feel like she'd just be in the way. Her eyes darted back to the sky, orange with the start of sunset.

"Nagaira, I'm going to do some hunting of my own," she said.

"Stay close," Nagaira told her.

Vixna agreed easily as she walked off. She found a patch of flowers and knelt down over them. She spoke another spell under breath and made the requisite hand motion. "Excuse me, do you think you could help me?" she asked.

She knew the spell had taken hold when the plants answered her.

* * *

 

It didn’t take much for Arré to find the tracks of all the animals that crossed through this part of the grasslands. Though it had not rained in days, the wind had not yet swept over the rolling fields, washing tracks and scents away.

“What do you think, Nyx?” Arré asked the wolf. “Think we can bag something good for everyone?”

Nyx's tongue lolled from her jaw as she panted. _“For everyone?”_ she asked. _“Or for the draeni?”_

“For everyone,” Arré hissed.

 _“Could have fooled me,”_ Nyx barked, placing her head to the ground to begin sniffing out prey.

Arré blew out a haggard breath. “Am I that obvious?”

_“Like a mewling pup.”_

Arré sighed, dusting herself off, indicating that she was ready to follow the scent Nyx had begun to track. She slung her bow off her back, relishing the feel of the elder wood under hand. Briefly, she wondered how Vixna's body might feel, the sounds she might make under her ministrations, what she might taste—

 _“Arré!”_ Nyx snapped her jaw inches from the elf's face.

Arré had the sense to look embarrassed. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

Nyx snapped her jaws once more before trotting off. _“You can’t afford to get distracted out here. I can smell it on you. We don’t need to attract any unwanted attention.”_

“Yes, mother,” Arré drawled.

Nyx licked her chops. _“Besides, we need to bring back enough food to feed your mate and her companion, not to mention Saeryn and Koda.”_

The reminder made Arré grin. “So you mean I need to get a move on so you can eat?” She plucked two arrows from her quiver.

The wolf merely howled in response, sending up a flock of birds that nestled in the grass. _“I am starving,”_ the wolf intoned.

Arré took aim at her quarry. “Your wish is my command.”

* * *

  
Vixna returned to their camp before it was dark, a bundle of plants wrapped in her cloak since she'd forgotten to retrieve her bag from Nagaira. Saeryn greeted her warmly, asking if she might take the plants to roast them by the fire.

"You may try to if you like,” Nagaira said dryly, though her face still held a friendly smirk. She began to shed her armor from the day’s journey. “But you'll only make yourself sick.”

Saeryn looked at the pair curiously, eliciting a giggle from Vixna. “She means that these aren’t plants for eating.” She opened her cloak enough to show the dark elf the plants she'd picked. “These are for rather more nefarious purposes.”

Saeryn's head tilted to the side. “Poisons?” she asked, her finger drifting to her lips.

Vixna nodded, a small smile playing on her face. “It’s a skill I picked up. It has served Nagaira and me well.”

Saeryn gave Vixna a wider smile. “I suppose I should warn Arré to behave herself,” she winked.

“Why should I behave myself?” Arré's voice floated around Vixna. The draeni turned to see the wood elf laden with five birds dangling from her fist and three rabbits strung together over her shoulder. Nyx trotted away from Arré, nuzzling past Saeryn before nosing around Koda, who huffed gently in her face.

“No reason to behave,” Nagaira told her over her shoulder, placing a finger over her lips to Saeryn.

Arré looked at Saeryn, hoping to get her friend to get any response. Saeryn shrugged at the elf, taking the rabbits from her.

“I can pluck those birds if you'd like,” Nagaira offered. Speechless, Arré handed the birds over before sitting beside Saeryn. She nudged the dark elf with her shoulder affectionately before she took a rabbit and began to skin it. Vixna watched the pair work in enthralled fascination.

"Do you want to learn how to do it yourself?" Searyn asked her.

Vixna frowned and scrunched up her nose. "Perhaps not. It seems very... messy."

Nagaira snickered at the draeni. "My lady would not want to get her hands dirty with anything more than dirt itself," she teased.

"Forgive me for having little need to bloody my hands," Vixna replied. "My skills happen to be more... intellectual."

Arré shook her head with mild disapproval. "What are you going to do if you ever need to hunt?"

"I'll never need to hunt," Vixna replied. "I am one with nature. I know how to forage, and failing that, I can make fruit bearing plants yield food whenever I please. I can even summon goodberries which can sustain a person for a full day." She mumbled as she added, "Not that I have much need..."

"What was that?" Saeryn questioned.

"Nothing."

Arré stabbed her knife into the rabbit she had just cleaned. "So why did I do all this hunting if you can just summon food?"

"You didn't ask if there was a need to hunt, so I assume that you enjoy it and desired the taste of meat," Vixna shrugged. "And meat is an enjoyable commodity besides."

"It could still be a useful skill to learn," Arré told her, tossing one of the rabbits to Koda, who immediately dug his muzzle into the flesh.

"It could be," Vixna agreed. "But would you really want me to potentially scaring off all the animals, leaving you with less to hunt?"

Arré rolled her eyes.

Vixna grinned at the elf and returned her attention to Saeryn. "Show me. I learn best through thorough observation." Saeryn was good enough to humor her, politely giving instructions as she continued her work, though no one was under the impression that Vixna would be bothered.

It was dark by the time they were roasting their food over the fire, and Arré entwined her hands in Koda's fur, whispering into his ears. With a great shake, he lumbered off, body hunched low in the grass. Vixna couldn't help but let her eyes rest of the direwolf that was Arré's mount. There was something alluring about a girl that ran with wolves and she wondered what Arré had done to tame such a beast. To tame either beast. Or to befriend them, as the case may be.

Nagaira interrupted her thoughts by offering her the roasted fowl. "Here, my lady."

She smiled as she accepted it. "I don't recall that I thanked you, Arré. Your hard work is really appreciated."

Arré smiled around a mouthful of rabbit while Saeryn reclined next to her. "Thank you."

"You seem to be a skillful hunter," Nagaira said, brushing her fingers of the remnants of her meal. "I'm glad that you were not planning to coast on Saeryn's skills."

Arré glared at her for a moment before turning to Saeryn. "How did you get under all that stiff armor?" she stage whispered. "You never cease to amaze, Sae."

Saeryn demurred. "I've done nothing worthy of being called amazing."

"Aw, Nagaira," Vixna chimed in. "She doesn't think you're serious. You'll have to try harder."

Nagaira fixed her eyes on Saeryn, a small grin playing at the edges of her lips. "It seems that I will," she murmured.

Saeryn's cheeks burned, causing a giggle to slip from Vixna. "Well, I think I am finished for the night," Saeryn said. She stood and stretched. "If no one minds, I can take the second watch."

"No need," Vixna told her. "I can take watch tonight. Get some rest."

"I'll stay with you," Arré added. Nagaira's eyes locked onto the wood elf. "I've still got some energy," she shrugged.

Nagaira hesitated, looking to Vixna before nodding. She squeezed the draeni's shoulder. "I expect to find you well when I wake."

"You worry too much," Vixna told her, but nodded all the same. Nagaira brushed a hand over her hair, offered her a smile, before retiring to their tent.

Saeryn looked at Arré , an expectant look on her face. "Don't worry, I'll behave," Arré held up her hands, reassuring the dark elf.

Saeryn nodded briefly before wishing the pair a good night, slipping into her tent.

Arré reached out to Nyx, who loped to the elf. She laid her head in one of her hands, panting in satisfaction when Arré scratched behind her ear. "You gonna stay up with us for a little?"

The wolf growled at her before leaving, following Saeryn into the tent.

"Traitor," Arré mumbled.

Vixna giggled as she opened her cloak and began to sort through the herbs she'd collected earlier. "Do you and Nyx always argue so much?"

"We've known each other a long time," Arré said. "It's how I know she cares." She dug around in her bag for a moment before pulling out a deck of cards. "Wanna play?"

"Sure."

Arré's nimble fingers cut and shuffled the cards before she dealt them out. "Wanna make a little wager?" she asked, her eyes glinting mischievously.

Vixna gathered her cards and looked them over. "I daresay gambling between new allies is not the way to forge healthy bonds."

"Doesn't have to be money."

"Then what do you propose? A favor?" Vixna leaned in closer, her hand tugging playfully at her blouse. "Or perhaps something more physical?"

Arré swallowed. "Maybe just a friendly game is fine," she admitted, gathering her own cards.

They played a simple, common game that Vixna had picked up upon arriving in the Expanse. After Arré won a few hands in a row, she looked at Vixna's cloak, noticing the plants spilling from it. She pointed her chin at the pile. "What are the plants for?"

"Poisons," Vixna answered easily. "I've some skill with making them and since I'll be awake all night, it seemed like a good time to restock my supply." She laid her hand down, a smirk of victory on her face.

The elf laid her own winning hand down, a smirk of her own playing at her lips. "I didn't take you for the type."

Vixna smiled. "That's rather the point, wouldn't you say? Clearly you have your own less... morally productive skills," she suggested.

Arré grinned. "So you noticed." She held her hand up and, with a deft flick of her wrist, revealed a hidden card.

"Perception is key." Vixna placed her cards down and searched her bag until she found her poisoner's kit, opening it up so that she could begin her work. "If you'd like, I can give you some to coat your arrows."

Arré's eyes lit up as she gathered the cards. "What kind have you got?"

Vixna laughed at her enthusiasm. "Let's wait and see what I get done first. I may not have gathered as much as I meant to."

"Well, if you can tell me where the plants you need are, I could help gather some, too." She gestured in the direction her direwolf had gone. "With Koda, I could be much faster than you."

"Indeed you could. I would be grateful for the help." The draeni began setting up her work space, still thinking about Arré and her companions. "Tell me Arré, how does a wood elf end up with not one, but two wolves, one as big as a horse?"

The elf blushed in the firelight. "Nyx is my oldest friend by far. I've known her since I was a youngling. No big story there. Her parents were bonded to my father, and she is bonded to me."

Vixna nodded in understanding. "And the direwolf?" she pressed.

"Koda was a lone wolf. Chased out of his alpha's pack. They were hounding him down." Arré picked at the grass at her feet. "I was out hunting when they barreled through. They were going to kill him. I didn't give them the chance."

"Arré, I find my self more and more pleasantly surprised by you all the time," Vixna told her.


	4. Journey to the Tower (Day 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group find some trouble on the road.

The night passed peacefully, and as dawn began to break through the darkness, Vixna sighed to herself in relief. It had taken most of the night, but she had made her poisons. She looked at her work space; it had also taken nearly all the plants and herbs she had gathered. She looked at the bottles of poisons she had, deciding that once they returned to the city, she would need to restock.

She heard a low rumble, and jumped a little, garnering the attention of Arré. The wood elf smiled at her and motioned for her to relax. Her hand reached out to the tall grass and Vixna breathed a sigh when Koda’s snout peeked through. Arré’s hand patted the direwolf’s nose, and Koda pushed his head into her hands. She cooed at him, ruffling the fur at his neck. She whispered into his ear, and he huffed in her face before loping to the tent that Saeryn was sleeping in. Koda curled up in front of the tent and in short order went to sleep.

Arré met Vixna’s gaze and winked at the draeni. She gave her a soft smile in return, and the wood elf gathered her bow, slipping off into the grass without a word.

Vixna’s thoughts returned to her poisons. She looked at the vials nestled in her palms. She was able to make six poisons from her ingredients and now cradled two sleeping draughts, two standard poisons, and two vials of a toxin that sapped physical strength.

She heard a rustle behind her and looked to see Nagaira coming out of the tent, immediately going to work breaking down the tent.

"Good morning," Vixna greeted cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough, considering. How did you spend the night?"

A bright grin spread over the draeni's face. "Productively," she said, pride shining in her voice. "I've got a gift for you."

Nagaira raised an eyebrow as she approached, first taking Vixna's bag to stow away the tent, then sitting beside her. She held out her hand and Vixna dropped a vial of blue, milky liquid into her palm. Nagaira smiled. "Sleeping draught. You were productive indeed. My thanks, milady."

Vixna leaned on her friend's shoulder. "I thought it might be useful. I'd thought about gifting one to Arré, but decided it might be better to wait."

Nagaira held her hand over her mouth in mock shock. "My lady showing restraint. How unusual," she said, a tone of teasing coating her words.

Vixna nudged Nagaira with her shoulder. "I did it for you. With the way you've been treating our new allies, she'd probably use it on you the first chance she got."

"Seems like it wouldn't be advantageous for you if I were taken out in such a manner," Nagaira smirked. "Unless you are trying to get me out of the way for a while, though you had more than enough time with the elf last night, if that's what you wanted."

Vixna pouted at her. "Who speaks that way about their lady?"

"Who acts so haughty at their guardian?"

Vixna's retort was interrupted by laughter and they both turned to see Saeryn and Nyx coming out of their tent. She had one hand to her mouth, muffling her laughter, while the other tangled in Nyx's fur. "Forgive me," she said around her giggles. "Please do not stop on my account."

Vixna huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm glad you find amusement in my vassal's rebellion."

Nagaira pat her friend's arms, a smirk still gracing her face. "Good morning," Nagaira said to Saeryn. "Would you like help taking down your tent?"

Saeryn's giggles died down. "You look as if you are preoccupied. I'll be fine."

"You too, Saeryn?" Vixna asked. She threw her hand against her head, pretending to faint in Nagaira lap. "I am distraught."

Both dark elves laughed at her as Nagaira gently stroked her horns.

* * *

  
They were all sitting around the fire when Arre returned, her hunt of rabbits in hand. Saeryn and Nagaira were playing a game of dragonchess, while Vixna entertained herself, flicking and twisting her fingers at the campfire, causing the flames to leap and dance at her whim. Nagaira didn't take her eyes off of the board, but Saeryn's gaze kept drifting toward the draeni's display.

"That seems like cheating," Arré said after watching them a moment.

Vixna looked at her with a smile, but her hands didn't stop and neither did the fire. "What does?"

Arré gestured to the game and then to the fire. "Isn't that distracting?"

"No, I've seen Nagaira play before," she answered. "And this is actually super easy."

Nagaira snickered. "She was not talking about you, my lady." She moved a piece on the board that caused Saeryn to frown.

"What?" Vixna's gaze drifted to Saeryn. "Oh!" She stilled her hands and the fire settled back down. "Sorry, I wasn't even thinking."

Saeryn frowned at the fire next, letting out a deep sigh as she turned her eyes back to the board. "It was... interesting to watch."

"You could have forfeited if you wanted to watch the show," Nagaira chided gently, reaching out to begin putting the game pieces away.

"I wanted to play too," Saeryn admitted, taking a rabbit from Arré.

"I can put that away while you guys play with the food," Vixna said.

"How helpful of you," Nagaira said with a wry smile.

Vixna stuck out her tongue as she leaned down to gather up the game.

* * *

 

They cooked and ate in short order and had been traveling at a steady pace when Nyx growled low.

Arré shielded her face against the midday sun. "I hear it too, Nyx." She clambered onto Koda's back, looking out into the sea of grass.

Saeryn looked over her shoulder at her friend. "What is it?"

Arre's eyes squinted against the light. "Looks like a caravan." She gripped her direwolf with her legs. "But something doesn't look right. I'm gonna get a closer look."

"Must you?" Nagaira asked her. "It's just a caravan."

Arré settled herself on Koda's back, patting his side gently. "Call it me being cautious, okay?" Immediately, Koda took off, Nyx close at his heels.

Vixna stopped to watch Arré ride off, grasping Nagaira's hand absently. "I wonder what she's so worked up over."

Nagaira sighed impatiently as she stared off after the wood elf. Vixna took her hand, stepping closer to her side. "I've ever seen her seen so serious," she said. "I wonder what that's all about."

"It's where we are," Saeryn offered. The two turned to face the dark elf, who rubbed her gold bands absently. "The night before we left Oroan, we made a stop or two, so we could gather information. A siren told us that this area is not well traveled, and for good reason."

Vixna gazed at Nagaira shortly, before returning to watch Arré. Before she could say anything else, Arré returned, a hard look in her eyes. "Slavers," she told them. "Nine wagons and a rear guard." She looked at Saeryn, her eyes softening at the sight. "I'm going to do something about this."

"You're going to do something about nine wagons of slavers?" Nagaira asked flatly.

Arré reached for Saeryn, helping her mount Koda in front before turning her gaze back to Nagaira. "Yes."

Nagaira sighed, sparing a look at Vixna, who merely shrugged at the dark elf. "You will be at a severe disadvantage if you go alone. If you can restrain yourself long enough, perhaps Vixna and I can lend you some aid."

Arré's was taken aback. "You're helping us?"

Nagaira gave her an unimpressed glare. "We are on this journey together. Contrary to popular belief, I am neither callous nor stone-hearted."

"Besides, it isn't as if we're unsympathetic to your plight," Vixna added. "Which is why I'm glad that I made this." She held out a vial filled with blue liquid. "It needs to be inhaled, but it will put someone to sleep pretty quickly. That should help thin the numbers, yes?" she smiled as she handed the vial to Arré.

The wood elf took the vial, almost reverently, meeting Vixna's eyes with her own. "Thank you," she whispered to the draeni.

"Needless to say," Nagaira cut in, "Vixna will be my priority above all else." She shifted from one foot to the other. "Having said that, if you can wait until I take out the rear guard, Vixna can stop the caravan in it's tracks. That will give us the best chance to try and level the field."

Arré glanced at Vixna, who nodded enthusiastically. Saeryn patted her hand, silent encouragement to the wood elf. "Alright then."

* * *

 

Nagaira held Vixna's hand in her own as she whispered the spell to cloak them both from sight, Saeryn gasping softly as they vanished. It wouldn’t last throughout the battle, but it would allow the pair to get close enough to begin their assault. Nagaira kept hold of her lady’s hand as they approached the caravan, not wanting to lose track of her charge before it was necessary.

Arré's information had been correct. There were nine wagons in the caravan, each carrying two slavers and a sole slaver following as a rear guard. When she saw the slaves were dark elves, she realized that the slavers had come from The Arle Mountains to the east. Rage briefly bubbled up in her, but she tamped it down; it wouldn't do her any good to be so incensed during the battle.

Arré held back on that direwolf of hers, and Nagaira was satisfied to realize that the girl, while brash, was able to see reason and stay back until the battle began. Besides, closing the distance on that mount of hers would be simple enough once everything came to blows. Nyx was closer, but the solitary wolf wouldn't draw any attention.

She tapped Vixna's hand twice, indicating that this was where they would separate. She couldn't see the draeni, but it was easy enough to map out the path she would take to the head of the caravan. Nagaira had never been a fan of battles with such uneven odds but took comfort in the fact that her lady could keep her distance with her magic. She looked to the sky, sincerely happy that there were no angels among them.

Nagaira drew her crossbow, pulling back the string and loading the first bolt. If necessary, she knew she could call upon her black magic, but she preferred to save those abilities until she really needed them, especially since the Church was on the rise.

Nagaira let Vixna make the first move. She was better at coordinating and preferred to adjust herself to her lady’s choices. She felt a small burst of magic pulse through the air and in a flash, thick vines erupted from the earth, entwining with the wagon wheels and bringing the wagons to a sudden halt. Nagaira noticed Vixna shimmer into visibility, but knew she had her own mission.

A cry went up from the front of the caravan, causing the lone guard at the rear’s horse to rear up and turn away from the last wagon. Nagaira drew in a breath and released the trigger, her bolt catching him in the throat. He gagged, his hand grasping at the bolt as he slumped over. 

Koda ran past her and she saw a blue cloud settle over the head of the caravan as Arré smashed her vial against the first wagon. Nagaira was confident that Vixna's solution would keep those two out for the rest of the fight, but that still left fifteen slavers. That was far too high a number for her liking, but with the wolves fighting, she thought they had things fairly under control. She cloaked herself in shadow magic once more to reposition closer to her allies before the slavers rallied and surrounded her.

Out of the confusion, a wiry man covered in leathers dismounted from his wagon, followed by a giant of a woman hoisting a massive two-handed sword over her head. “We’re under attack!” she called out.

Saeryn dismounted Koda gracefully, drawing her swords in one smooth motion, while Arré wheeled the direwolf around, deftly shooting the man in his throat. Saeryn slipped under her opponent’s guard, flicking her blades at her exposed skin. The woman was on her guard, swiping away at each blow before bringing her blade down overhead, forcing Saeryn to roll to the left. Nyx flanked the woman, clamping on the woman’s heel and tearing at the tendon.

Arré dismounted Koda, sending the direwolf into the fray while Saeryn and Nyx continued to break down their massive foe. She spied another slaver climbing off another wagon, rotating two blades of her own, focused on Saeryn’s blind spot. She drew her bow taut and let two arrows fly, bringing her down before she could reach her wolf or her friend.

* * *

 

At the front of the caravan, Vixna decided her course early on; big spells first, before the slavers mixed in with her friends. Her new allies seemed to prefer quarters and she didn't want to risk hitting them. So, big, loud, flashy spell first, before her foes could rally, and then they would have to get to the hard work.

Vixna kept her eyes on the caravan as she began to gesture at the sky and recite her spell. The clouds gathered quickly, the sky darkening, and many of the slavers hesitated after they jumped off their wagons, turning uncertain eyes toward the sky. She fixed her eyes on a spot on the opposite side of the caravan, far enough that her friends would be free of the backlash, and then she released her spell. Thunder rumbled above them, quickly followed by the crackle of lightning as it touched down in the area she'd chosen. The attack wave rippled through her enemies, some managing to stay on their feet but many submitting to the pain and going down.

It dawned on her that this was why the Church feared those the practiced the arts and she could see that fear reflected in her enemies eyes. After her grand spell, those who weren't unconscious or dead began to scatter, some abandoning the battle and their allies, others spreading out to prevent being struck with another devastating thunderbolt. After the dust settled, there were eight slavers remaining, charging into the fray. Vixna allowed a small a grin to grace her face. Now these were odds she could live with.

She was surprised to see that among the slavers were a few elementalist, their fingertips flickering with frost and flames. One took aim at Arré, but before Vixna could try and warn the wood elf, she leapt into the air, twisting her body and loosing an arrow into the mage's thigh. Arré's leap took her into the vines of a Hungry Ivy and she squawked as it took hold of her. Before the elementalist could recover, Koda pounced, driving the elementalist into the ground. His screams echoed over the plains.

She glanced in Arré’s direction; though she would be effective in wrapping things up, there wasn’t time to set her free. There were two more elementalists and five more slavers to deal with, none of whom would simply wait while she tried to free the elf. She spared another glance at Arré’s form being slowly fondled by the plant. Perhaps the show would catch the attention of the slavers and be a welcome distraction.

Vixna cast her gaze across the battlefield, her eyes widening with awe as they landed on Saeryn. She had never seen a blade dancer before and hadn't know what to expect from her fighting style, but in this moment Saeryn was an arc of beauty and wonder. Every strike and step followed a rhythm only Saeryn could hear, every parry and twist steps to a dance only she knew. She had to ask Saeryn to show her more when they were in a less high stakes situation.

Even with Saeryn's skill, five warriors was a lot to fight off at once. As she dodged out the way of one blade, a spear grazed her side. She hissed, dropping beneath the arc of a flail only to receive an arrow in her shoulder for her trouble. She cried out, losing the flow of her dance, but Nyx saved her from another blow, crippling a hulking draeni by slashing through her tendon and drawing some of the attention away from Saeryn.

Vixna focused on one, a beast of a man armed with a sole blade, muttering her spell under her breath. The hilt of his blade seared his palm, the metal heating beneath her gaze, forcing him to drop his weapon. As he gripped his swollen palm, Nagaira appeared behind him, wrenching the man by his matted hair and dragging her own blade across his massive throat, letting the body collapse. Two more foes turned on their heels to avenge their ally but Nagaira easily slipped under the spear and stopped short of the flail, casting her shadow magic to shroud Saeryn.

The ground beneath Vixna jerked and she barely moved in time to avoid the chasm that opened beneath her feet. She looked up to meet eyes with the earth elementalist, only to be hit with a fire ball from the other side. The cry that escaped her lips as she fell to the ground was more of surprise than pain, though the flames still singed her. Fire was one of her elements and it took little effort to extinguish the flame on her.

Rather than waste time trying to search out the fire elementalist, she kept her eyes locked with the earth wielder that nearly rent the ground from beneath her feet. He was the more dangerous of the two. Vixna hated fighting earth elementalist. The nature of them made them hard to ignore and she didn't have any easy ways to counter them.

She cast a warm shield around herself to absorb any more potential fire damage and then she charged forward. The ground trembled beneath her and she stumbled as she recited her next spell, reaching out to take hold of her newly created thorn whip. She flicked it toward the elementalist, pulling him toward her, falling on top of them as another fireball hit her from behind and she was pushed forward.

The elementalist spoke his spell quickly, turning his skin to stone and kicking her off of him. Vixna created a puff of poison in her hands and threw it in his face. She watched him as he coughed, choked, and passed out on the ground. She let herself fall onto the ground to catch her breath, watching as a fireball sailed just over her head.

She ignored him for the moment as she thought of her allies, slowly chanting her healing spell and moving her hands more sluggishly than she wanted. In moments she felt the healing wash over her. It wasn't enough to fully heal her, but it would keep her going. In the back of her mind, she knew if Saeryn had been able to remove her arrow, she was probably feeling better, as well.

Reluctantly, Vixna pushed herself off the ground to deal with the fire elementalist. She was low on mana, so no more big spells unless she wanted to use up her tattoos. She didn't think she'd need that though. Her warm shield was still in place and she was feeling suitably cranky.

She began chanting her spell as she looked for the elementalist. He wasn't hard to find. She flexed her fingers as she felt her spell take hold, fingernails and teeth elongating and dripping with corrosive poison. This spell was always painful and she channeled it into a primal scream as she stared into her opponents eyes, watching him take a step back. She charged at him and he ran.

* * *

 

Nagaira found herself respecting Arré more for having two wolves to fight on her behalf. Shortly after Saeryn disappeared, Koda pounced on the archer that shot her, and he disappeared under a flurry of paws and fangs.

Nagaira surveyed her remaining enemies in front of her. The elf who’d been touting a spear was quick to focus on her once Saeryn was out of sight, taking quick jabs at Nagaira, backing her up. She felt rather than saw the flail swing out at her, and she rolled away, stopping herself short before she was skewered by the spear. In a matter of moments, she was surrounded by them, but she lashed out with her scimitar, attempting to back one of the slavers away. She dodged the spear, shoving aside another large sword before pain lanced through her body as the flail met its mark, grazing her side. She knew that she couldn’t stop moving, even as the pain shortened her breath and slowed her down.

Nyx bit into the elf's leg, but almost immediately was wrenched off when the flail swept out, slamming into the wolf. Nyx whimpered as she collapsed under her weight, and the slavers briefly took their eyes off Nagaira. In that moment, Nagaira called upon her shadow magic again. She dashed toward the spear wielder as she approached the wolf and slashed her side. She dropped to the ground as the woman spun around, flinging her spear wildly.

Nagaira swept her foe's feet from under her, plunging her blade into the woman's abdomen and retreating, to the wolf's side. She felt the shadow magic unwrap itself from around her just as a wave of healing swept over her. She pushed down the immediate instinct to look for her lady, wondering if the healing was for them or because Vixna needed it. There were still enemies to take care of and she couldn't afford the distraction.

Just as the slaver twirling the flail made to launch it at Nagaira, her head was separated from her neck. The flail spun off into the grass and Saeryn became visible. Nagaira smiled at her, briefly checking her over, noting with approval that her many wounds rapidly healed. Saeryn spun on her heel to bring down the final slaver, Nyx following at her heels. The two danced around each other, distracting him until Saeryn could lock down his blade with hers. Nagaira cast a final spell, a wave of pure energy blasting him off his feet. Nyx immediately attacked, silencing the slaver’s pathetic whimpers of mercy.

Nagaira’s gaze snapped over the field, checking to see if any slavers remained. Everyone around was dead or long gone, chased off by either the direwolf or her lady’s massive lightning strike. The thought of Vixna caused her to focus. Now that everyone was gone, she could look for the draeni. She was a little scorched, a sight that made Nagaira want to kill the slavers all over again. Her lady’s hands shook, dripping in a sickly green liquid and began to morph back into normal hands, and Nagaira wondered how upset Vixna was to resort to using that spell.

Nagaira turned to face Saeryn as she wiped her blades on the leathers of one of the slavers. "Is that all of them?"

Saeryn nodded behind her with an imperceptible grin. Arré's direwolf had settled down among some of the fallen enemies, tugging absently at them. "That's as good an answer as any," the blade dancer told her. "But where is Arré?"

"She got caught up by some Ivy," Vixna answered. She looked to Nagaira. "If you wouldn't mind, could you free her? I think she has suffered at the hands of the plant long enough. Saeryn and I will try and figure out how to open these cages."

Nagaira gave her lady a once over, just to be sure she wasn't hurt. To her relief, she only seemed to be a little drained, having likely spent a lot of energy in the battle. "I suppose I can set her free," Nagaira said, turning on her heel.

Arré was a panting, mewling mess by the time Nagaira found her. The Hungry Ivy restrained her limbs, keeping her bound while fondling the wood elf. It wriggled under her armor, flicking her nipples and wound a vine high up her thigh, offering purchase for Arré to squirm and thrust against. Her eyes were unfocused, and she whimpered unceasingly, even at Nagaira’s approach.

Nagaira considered her options. She could simply go and cut Arré free, but at the risk of being snared by the plant herself. Firing a crossbow bolt would be ineffective, not to mention she might accidentally hit the wood elf. In the end, she snapped her finger, igniting a spark of flames at the Ivy's base, watching as it caught fire, writhing and wilting around Arré’s body.

Nagaira leaned closer to the wood elf. “Are you alr—” her words were cut off when Arré pounced on her, knocking the pair to the ground. “What are you doing?”

The girl’s hands pawed at her, wandering desperately. She made wanting noises in the back of her throat. Nagaira tried to push her off without using severe force. The plant clearly worked her up, but Nagaira didn’t want to be the one to help her work out this issue.

"Oh dear, are you okay Nagaira?" Vixna asked.

Nagaira gave her lady a withering glare. Before she could properly respond, Arré leaned up and bit into Nagaira's neck. Heat immediately rushed through her and she couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips. Arré began to nibble and tug at the skin, causing the dark elf to shudder, arching into her touch. Arré took advantage, immediately unstrapping Nagaira’s armor.

"Oh!" Vixna gasped in surprise. "Lucky guess on her part, getting your weak spot. I'll leave you to it, make sure no one interrupts you."

Nagaira was too distracted to reply, shrugging out of her armor. Arré's tongue swiped over Nagaira's neck, soothing the many bites. Nagaira bit her lip to stop the needy sounds welling up in her. Arré’s hands haphazardly tugged up her top, her lips roaming Nagaira’s skin, leaving bites and licks down her chest.

Arre pulled away long enough to unstrap her own armor, then descended on Nagaira again, licking her way down Nagaira's chest before slipping a pert nipple between her lips. Nagaira let out a whimper of her own, slipping a hand into Arré's hair, gently tugging on her red locks. The wood elf submitted to Nagaira's pull, allowing the dark elf to guide their lips together in a heated kiss.

Nagaira rolled, angling her body above Arré, shoving Arré's trousers down her hips and slipping her fingers against her core. The girl was dripping wet, allowing Nagaira's fingers to slide into her easily, causing Arré to break their kiss with a gasp. Nagaira slid her tongue into Arré's mouth, tangling their tongues and moaning softly. Arré returned the kiss greedily, bucking her hips against Nagaira's hand until the dark elf pressed her thumb to Arré's clit, massaging it slowly. Arré whimpered, working her body against Nagaira’s hand as she stroked her. Nagaira placed her lips at Arré’s neck, returning the bite that started this excursion with as much fervor. Arré’s core spasmed, clenching on the dark elf, crying out as she came on Nagaira’s fingers.

Nagaira steadily pumped her finger in Arré, stroking her through her orgasm while thumbing the girl’s clit. As she came down from her high, Arré tugged at Nagaira’s pants until she cupped the dark elf’s center in her hand. Nagaira panted as Arré stroked her soaked folds, pressing herself into Arré’s hand in desperation. Nagaira slipped another finger into her, filling her and making her cry out. Arré’s fingers shook with her pleasure, but she forced herself to continue to pleasure her partner, working her hand and watching Nagaira’s face as she stroked the dark elf.

It wasn't long before they both came, crying out just a step out of sync. Nagaira pulled her hand away from Arré, wiping it on the grass. She was panting and out of breath, but quickly rose and redressed herself, leaving Arré still catching her breath on the ground.

* * *

 

Saeryn spoke to the slaves. They were scared and skittish, and they pretended not to speak Common when Vixna tried, but it seemed that they were more than willing to talk to Saeryn, so she was happy enough to leave her to it. Nagaira had taught her some Undercommon, but she wouldn't call herself fluent and there was no reason to distress them if it could be helped.

Instead, she busied herself checking the pockets of anyone laying around on the ground, searching for keys to the cages. She was pretty sure Arré would have been able to get them open easily, but since she was preoccupied with Nagaira -- and Vixna really wondered how her friend would react to that after the fact -- Vixna wasn't really willing to make them wait. She was exhausted from the battle and her mana was running low, but the spell to talk to Nyx and Koda wouldn't stress her body, and she asked them if they would help her gather all the bodies in one place. She knew they couldn't all be dead and she wanted to keep an eye on them when they let the slaves free.

She knew she surprised the wolves, who both tilted their heads at her while she spoke. Nyx agreed easily enough, though with a few snide and sarcastic remarks that Vixna found hilarious, and her laughter had the wolf giving her a look that she absolutely could not decipher. She wasn't used to having to translate wolf expressions into something more compatible.

Koda didn't respond at all to her words, and Vixna wondered if the direwolf was going to ignore her. Nyx let out a bark and the wolves looked at each other for a moment before Koda bent down, snagging a body in his jaws and making a heap as far away from the caravan as possible.

Nyx managed to sniff out the keys and dropped them at Vixna’s feet. She started towards the rear of the caravan, where they had already moved the bodies out of the way and worked her way forward. She had already opened four by the time Nagaira came over, talking sternly to the dark elves in Undercommon and taking control of the situation. Her steady voice was punctuated by Saeryn’s softer, more comforting tones and the dark elves seemed to visibly relax. Vixna thought that the two made a very good team, both on and off the battlefield.

"They must have had supplies on caravan, right?" Vixna directed her question toward Nagaira, once she'd opened all the cages. "Will it be enough for them to make it back to The Arle?"

"It should be, but it will be tight," Nagaira answered. "The trip to Oroan is much shorter than turning back toward The Arle." She turned to address the dark elves. "We'll stripe the slavers of whatever weapons survived the battle and, if any of you can hunt, that should do well to sustain until you make it home."

"If it can help, I can summon some goodberries for them," Vixna offered. "At the very least, that will last them the first day of travel, long enough for them to be able to hunt."

Arré arrived, looking disheveled, but still easygoing and goodnatured. "Will they be alright using these wagons, considering?" she asked.

"They will make do," Nagaira said firmly, glaring at them all. Several of them looked around at each other, muttering amongst themselves. Several others nodded.

"Are any of them hurt?" Vixna questioned.

There were whispers in response to that question and Nagaira stepped forward, prompting them to step back and cling together. She repeated the question, though it was clear that they had all understood. "If any of you are hurt, come forth now."

It was lucky that in a group of about fifty, only a handful were pushed forward. She sacrificed two of her tattoos to do the healing, watching as the script around her right wrist slowly faded and disappeared.

One of the dark elves stepped forward. She was tall, with dark grey skin and short silver hair, dressed only in rags, but her prideful stance and defiant eyes made it easy to see that she was their leader. "I am Nazana," the dark elf said, nodding her head to them as she introduced herself. "I thank you for your aid. I would have the names of our saviors," she said.

Arré seemed happy enough to do introductions and Vixna left her to it. She felt so drained and it was only going to get worse, when she summoned the goodberries. It was foolish of her not to bring any restoration aides with her.

"I'm just glad that you're free now," Arré said after introducing everyone. "I hope you'll be okay on your way back."

Nazana looked at Nagaira, holding her gaze for a long moment. "Yes, I hope so, as well."

Nagaira pressed her lips together tightly and nodded back.

Vixna decided not to let the tension linger. "Here, let me summon the berries for you. I can only make one for each of you, but it will hold you well."

Nagaira stepped up beside her, pulling Vixna's head to rest on her shoulder. "You are exhausted, my lady." Not a question and Vixna didn't treat it as one, offering no response. "You will need to sleep this night. I won't hear any arguments." Nagaira placed a hand on her shoulder, to keep her upright when she fully depleted her mana. It would be embarrassing to collapse in front of so many people.

"You will be remembered fondly, Draeni," Nazana said, and the freed dark elves bowed their heads in respect.

Vixna smiled and proceeded to quietly and completely exhaust herself.


	5. Hythonia's Tower Part 1 (Day 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally make it to the tower.

Arré surveyed the area they’d chosen to camp for the night. After their encounter with the slavers, she wasn’t too keen on camping in the open like they had been, but they’d moved as far as they could without disturbing Vixna, who’d yet to wake up. She was worried about the draeni, but Nagaira merely hoisted her into her arms and stalked off with her. Arré and Saeryn were worried, but Nagaira was decidedly calm, so she decided that maybe this was a normal thing for her. 

Nyx brought Arré dry sticks to build a fire and Saeryn began to set up their tent. The wood elf gathered the sticks into a loose bundle and retrieved her flint. As she struck the stones together, she realized that with Vixna around, she hadn’t needed to do this at all during this trip. She spared a glance at Nagaira, who laid Vixna on her half-ruined cloak before removing her own and tucking it under her head. She fussed over the draeni, and Arré wondered if perhaps Nagaira was more worried than she let on. 

“Do you want help setting up your tent?” Arré asked her. Nagaira tensed before tilting her head away. Arré stared, fully expecting some sort of answer, but the silence grew. Her eyes moved to Saeryn, who looked uncertain as she approached the dark elf. 

“If you would like to keep an eye on her, I can put up your tent for you,” Saeryn offered, placing a delicate hand on Nagaira’s shoulder. 

Nagaira cleared her throat. “Thank you.”

Saeryn smiled at her, accepting the bag Nagaira handed her. She readjusted, sitting with Vixna’s head in her lap as her eyes wandered the camp. Nagaira watched Saeryn hard at work, watched the spark Arré started that flickered into a flame, watched Vixna’s slow, even breathing, anything but Arré. The wood elf’s eyes focused on her, and Arré felt like Nagaira was doing everything possible to avoid her gaze. 

Saeryn clapped her hands softly against her thighs. “It’s done,” she said quietly. 

Nagaira folded the cloak around Vixna and lifted the draeni into her arms. “My thanks, Saeryn.” With not another glance around, she carried Vixna into their tent. 

It was silent after Nagaira left. Koda huffed once before curling into himself against Arré’s tent. Nyx laid behind Arré, pressing her flank into her side. Absently, she began scratching the wolf’s head. “She hates me,” she sighed heavily. “More. She hates me more.”

Saeryn knelt before the fire, warming her hands. “I don’t think that she hates you.”

“Is that why she wouldn’t even look at me?”

Saeryn bit her lip. “She is very worried about Vixna..”

Arré folded her legs up and rested her head against them. “She’s been worried about Vixna since we met her, but she’s never avoided looking at me like this before.”

Saeryn scooted to sit beside her friend. “Perhaps you should talk to her,” Saeryn suggested. “If you explained the situation, it might…”

A groan escaped Arré’s lips. “I don’t think she’s going to care.”

Saeryn gently laid Arré’s head against her shoulder and stroked her hair, murmuring at her. 

* * *

 

It was nightfall when Vixna finally opened her eyes, meeting Nagaira’s immediately. The dark elf’s eyes widened for a moment. “Well rested, milady?” she asked softly. 

Vixna sighed and let her eyes close again.  “Maybe not quite yet,” she admitted. 

Nagaira gave her a soft smile and propped herself up on an elbow. Her fingers stroked the draeni’s horns and hair in equal measure, and Vixna hummed in contentment. “You know, if you decided to sleep more often, you might have more opportunities for moments like this.” 

“There are too many interesting things to be done to sleep anymore than necessary,” she retorted, sitting up. She stretched languidly. “Thank you,” she told her companion. 

Nagaira laid down where Vixna had been. “You look much better,” she said through bleary eyes. 

“I feel much better.” She frowned when she eyed her singed cloak. “But my cloak...it was so nice,” she pouted. 

Nagaira let a chuckle slip through her lips. “Never change, milady.”

Vixna smiled at her. She pressed a kiss to Nagaira’s head before getting to her feet. “Get some rest.”

Nagaira yawned before pillowing her head with her cloak. “Take it easy tonight,” she murmured before sleep took her. 

* * *

 

The smoky smell of the fire mingled with the cool night air. Arré watched the flames flicker before her as it popped and crackled in the still night. Saeryn was now leaning on her shoulder, dozing lightly. Nyx had already retired into their tent. Arré considered sending her friend off to sleep when she noticed Vixna emerge from her tent. 

“Good evening,” Vixna greeted her warmly. 

Saeryn sat up, startled by Vixna’s voice. She rubbed her bleary eyes. “It’s past my bedtime,” she murmured, crawling to her feet. The dark elf gave Vixna a sleepy smile before retreating into her tent. 

Arré watched her friend go before turning her attention to the draeni. “You alright?”

Vixna began to stretch, lifting her arms overhead before bending at the waist, her tail twitching behind her. Arré’s eyes focused on the brief flashes of skin as her shirt shifted around her. “I’m a little stiff. I should start sparring with Nagaira again.” She hummed with her efforts. “I might be out of shape,” she said offhandedly.

“Bullshit,” Arré murmured. Vixna straightened before lifting a leg above her head. The wood elf bit her lip softly as her eyes began to rake the draeni over. “Are you injured?” she managed to ask. 

Vixna’s leg gracefully slipped to the ground. “Not at all. I healed my own wounds after the battle. I just expended too much energy.” She tilted her head at the wood elf. “What about you?”

Arré blinked. She hadn’t been expecting the question. “What about me?”

Vixna began twisting at the waist. “How do you feel? Nothing...lingering?”

Arré flushed. The denial was on her lips but Vixna bent backwards, holding herself in a bridge, her tail winding itself around her body. Arré squeaked.

Vixna transfixed Arré with her gaze, effective even upside down. “You seemed to lose control.”

Arré tore her gaze away, folding her legs up in front of her. “I got careless, that’s all. Got too focused on saving the elves that I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Is that so?”

Arré gestured at the tent Vixna and Nagaira shared. “Is she angry?”

Vixna pushed herself upright, rolling her neck and shoulders. Her tail flicked back and forth. “Not angry,” she admitted. “You caught her at her weak point,” she added, tapping her neck for emphasis. “Perhaps it’s better that you did. She’d have been offended otherwise. Now she’ll be...something else.”

“And what is that?” 

Vixna shrugged. “That’s a question for tomorrow. The important thing is that she won’t be mad. Can’t be mad, if we’re being honest, because she could have stopped you.” She took a step closer, focused intently on Arré. “Are you sure there’s nothing else?”

Arré made to respond, to tell the draeni everything, but she looked Vixna in the eye and stalled. The moment passed and she tore her gaze away. “No. Nothing else.”

* * *

 

Arré kept watch for the night by herself, for the most part. Vixna kept her company when she was there, but the draeni wandered in and out of camp all night long, returning with her arms overflowing with fruits, berries and nuts. Even as she busied herself gathering food, she made sure to keep up a small conversation with Arré. Mostly though, she watched the draeni, noticing as she went about her business, the blue tattoos the draeni had were reapplied to her skin. When she thought about, she realized she didn’t realize that the tattoos had gone in the first place, and made a point to remember to ask about that another time. 

“I hope you don’t mind,” Vixna said, roasting nuts over the fire. “I thought I’d take care of the morning meal today.” 

Arré reclined by the fire, watching the draeni work over the flames. As she worked, she offered Arré an assortment of strange fruits she’d never seen before. Plump, blue oblongs that were soft and sweet, tart, yellow berries, and another that needed to be peeled and was surprisingly spicy. Vixna watched her sample with rapt eyes, even as she plucked roasted nuts from the fire. “What do you think?”

Arré blushed under the draeni’s ardent focus. “They’re good. I’m not usually into spicy things like that.” 

Vixna’s face split into a beautiful smile. What do you think Saeryn might like?”

Arré looked over the rainbow of fruit intently, then pointed at the yellow berries. “She has a taste for bitter things.”

Vixna nodded, plucking a few roasted nuts and yellow berries and wrapped them in a cloth, handing the bundle over to the wood elf. “For Saeryn,” she said. She gathered the rest of the nuts and fruits and, with a smile directed at Arré, she headed into her tent. 

In a matter of moments, Saeryn left her tent, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. She sniffed at the air. “What is that delicious smell?” she asked. 

Arré handed her the small package. “Vixna took over cooking today. Foraged for fruits and nuts all night.”

Saeryn knelt beside Arré, popping a yellow berry into her mouth. She sighed in delight. “This is really good.”

“Eat up,” Arré told her, running a hand over Saeryn’s head, eliciting a small sigh from the dark elf. “Soon as you’re done and those two are ready we’ll head out.” Saeryn finished her breakfast and Arré packed their tent when Vixna emerged, dressed for the day. She greeted Saeryn with a smile and then began to take down her tent. 

Saeryn and Arré shared a look. “Is Nagaira not up?” Saeryn asked her. 

“She’s up,” Vixna answered over her shoulder. “She’s been gone for a little while now. She went to scout ahead.” It was odd to watch Vixna take down the tent, but she didn’t fumble with it like Arré expected. 

“Oh? We didn’t even notice her go,” Saeryn said. 

Vixna turned to the pair as she packed the tent into her bag. She smiled, but it was small and diplomatic, nothing like the bright, easy smile she’d given earlier. “Nagaira likes stealth.”

Arré had a sinking suspicion that Nagaira was avoiding her. Vixna told her that the dark elf wouldn’t be mad, but Arré wasn’t quite so sure anymore. 

* * *

 

It was midday when they finally approached the Tower, an enormous circular structure. It was fitted together with large, dark stones and creeping vines crawled up the sides of the massive building. 

“We’re here,” Vixna told Arré and Saeryn. “The Tower of Aried.”

“Why is it called the Tower of Aried?” Saeryn asked her. 

“Because of those,” Nagaira spoke, dropping her invisibility and pointing at the fields surrounding the Tower. Following her finger, Saeryn and Arré looked and saw an enormous herd of large, furry beasts. “Aried: simple-minded bovine creatures. They have a tendency to charge.” 

Arré nodded, her fingers gripping her bow tightly. “Seems simple enough.”

“Not quite,” Vixna spoke up. “Look there, on the side.” Where she indicated, there was a large plant, womanlike in its shape and surrounded by what appeared to be wooden children wearing white masks. “There are Karpoi here, and an Alchemilla.”

Nagaira nodded. “Two dozen Arieds, in addition to a troupe of Karpoi.”

“So what should we do?” Saeryn asked. She looked to Arré first, then to Vixna and Nagaira on her other side.

Vixna looked towards the tower. “I’d rather avoid fighting an entire herd of Aried.” She studied the door before looking to Arré. “If the door is locked, you can open it?”

Arré grinned at her. “There hasn’t been a lock made yet that can keep me out.”

Vixna turned to Nagaira, watching her for a moment. “We should split up then. Nagaira can keep you hidden with her shadow magic while you get the door open. Once you do, she can come back and get the rest of us.”

Arré eyes widened. She forced herself to look at Nagaira, who didn’t look at her at all.

“What will you do about Koda?” Vixna asked. 

Arré tore her gaze from the dark elf. “He’ll be fine out here. Koda can take care of himself.” A low rumble passed through Nyx. “Nyx will come with me,” she translated.

Vixna put a hand on the wood elf’s shoulder. “Be careful.”

Nagaira reached out to touch Nyx, keeping her eyes forward as she reached out for Arré. The elf hesitated, but took her hand. “I’ll come back for you,” Nagaira said over her shoulder. She took off, startling a cry from Arré as she scrambled to keep up. 

Vixna smiled at Saeryn. “And now, we wait.”

* * *

 

After she stumbled over her first steps, Arré recovered enough to keep pace with the dark elf. Nagaira released her hand and led her in a circuitous path toward the Tower, arcing away from the Karpoi and skirting the edge of the Aried herd. 

When Nagaira stopped as an Aried looked their way, Arré sucked in a steadying breath. “You’re, uh, mad at me, aren’t you?” the wood elf murmured. 

“If I were, now would not be the time to address it.”

“Yeah, but…” Arré swore under her breath as Nagaira took off and she scrambled to catch up. When she caught up, she tried again. “I didn’t mean to...I’m sorry about…”

Nagaira stopped suddenly, and Arré realized they were standing at the base of the tower. Nagaira gestured at the door. “Concentrate on your task,” she intoned. “We don’t have a whole lot of time.”

 _“Focus is the last thing you’re good at when it isn’t sex.”_ Nyx’s hackles shivered in laughter. 

Arré glared at the wolf for a moment, resisting the urge to get into another one of their long-winded arguments. “Shut up,” she muttered, digging out her lockpicks. A fog rolled in behind them as she chose a pick and knelt before the door. 

“Is this going to take much longer?” Nagaira hissed at her. “I’m not fond of this many skittish beasts with my back to a wall.”

The wood elf worked her pick through the lock with precision and then tugged on the door. It gave way with a loud creak and Arré smiled. “Done.”

Nagaira nodded, though her gaze was already turned towards Vixna and Saeryn. “Wait inside. I can only cloak so many people at a time and I have to go back.” 

A bereft sigh slipped through Arré’s lips. “Sure…”

* * *

 

Saeryn waited with Vixna in companionable silence, absently stroking Koda between the eyes. Vixna watched the door, waiting for the sign that their friends made it. Her tail twitched impatiently. Saeryn grinned to herself. As excitable and nonchalant as she appeared, it was clear that Vixna was concerned for her friends. 

Vixna let out a small gasp. “The door is open! Looks like they made it alright.” 

Saeryn tapped Koda gently on his nose. “All right boy. You gotta get hidden. Arré will call for you when it’s time.” Koda’s tongue swiped at Saeryn’s palm gently, and she let a giggle slip through her lips as he stalked away into the underbrush. 

She turned to see Vixna watching the direwolf go. “Do you understand them?” Vixna asked. 

Saeryn stood beside Vixna, checking her blades in her sheaths. “Not the way Arré does. She’s bonded to Nyx and Koda. What they have is special.” She let out a breath. “I’ve known Nyx since I was a little girl though. I have a good idea of how she thinks.” She gave the draeni a small smile. “It helps that Nyx and Arré bicker like sisters, so I had more opportunities to understand her."

Vixna gave her a smile as Nagaira reappeared nearby. “If you would like, I could spell you. It wouldn’t last forever, but it would let you talk with Koda and Nyx for a little while, the way Arré does.”

Saeryn smile widened. Nagaira looked between the pair. “You two ready?” she asked. Vixna answered with a nod and Nagaira grasped the pair’s hands before muttering the spell that would cloak them. 

* * *

 

The journey was short and uneventful, and when Nagaira pulled them into the antechamber, they found Arré waiting on them. She turned when they approached, backing out of the antechamber to allow them ample room to trek in after her. 

Vixna followed, smiling at the wood elf. She regarded the room in wonder. “Have you seen anything yet?”

Arré gave her a toothy grin. “I thought I should wait for you.” She gestured around at the spacious room. “This floor seems to be empty.”

Saeryn followed Nagaira into the room and her gaze wandered over the walls and noted that there were many mirrors all over. “Where is Nyx?” she asked the wood elf. 

The grin never left Arré’s face. “I sent her to scout ahead for us. She’ll be just fine, as always.”

As they continued to follow the halls, they were forced to turn a corner that opened into a large room, dominated by more mirrors overlooked by sconces. The stone floor gave way to gray tiling, and the northern wall held a gigantic fireplace, large enough to stand upright in. Dark couches were set up along the southern wall, bracketing a sitting table. 

Vixna let out a low whistle. “Whatever lives here has decent taste,” she said, letting her hand brush over the couch. 

“Have a care for what you touch, my lady,” Nagaira warned her. 

Vixna pouted. “You think there would be traps on the couches of all things?”

“One can never be too sure.” There was a muffled thump that made Nagaira pause. “What was that?”

Arré breezed past the dark elf. “Sounded like the door closed is all. You know big places like this carry echoes all over. Come on, Nyx is still ahead.”

Vixna stopped to admire every bit of the architecture, even as they entered a hallway that opened into an expansive room empty save for a long table laden with food. The table was decorated with wildflowers and baskets of fruit lay at either end of the table. The centerpiece held a platter of roasted meat and a two tier cake, surrounded by various sides and a few bottles. 

Arré immediately sat at the center of the table, plucking a slice of meat from the platter. “I’m starving!”

“You probably shouldn’t be eating that,” Nagaira said, keeping a close eye on Vixna, who had spied a staircase in the other direction. 

Arré waved her off. “It’s fine. I’d smell it if there was something off.” She snatched another piece of meat and dipping it into a small bowl beside the platter, popping the meat into her mouth with a satisfied hum. “This is really good,” she sighed to herself as she reached for one of the bottles.

Vixna moved closer cautiously, glancing over the wood elf’s shoulder. “Is that wine?”

“Does it matter?” She popped the cork with ease and took a long drink. She handed the bottle to Vixna. “You should try some.”

Vixna took the bottle and placed it back on the table. “Now isn’t the time for a feast.”

Arré snatched another slice of meat from the plate and popped it into her mouth. “Suit yourself.” She reached out and grabbed Saeryn’s hand, tugging her closer to the table. “You should try this!” she said, pushing another piece of meat at Saeryn’s lips. 

Saeryn leaned back, pulling at her arm. “I would rather not. Can we go? We should catch up to Nyx.”

“Oh, come on. It’s really good!”

“No, thank you,” Saeryn insisted. 

Arré stepped closer to the dark elf, dangling the morsel before her. “It’s just a taste.”

Saeryn pressed her lips tight but couldn’t bring herself to pull away from the wood elf. 

Nagaira snagged Arré’s hand and yanked her away from the blade dancer. “That’s enough out of you,” she snarled, shoving her back. “If you want to make bad decisions, that’s on you, but keep them to yourself.”

Arré righted herself quickly and tucked the meat between her teeth. She held her hands up to ward off the anger etched into Nagaira’s face. “I’m sorry,” she blithely offered to Saeryn. Without waiting for an answer, she slipped her arm through Vixna’s and guided her towards the stairs. “Sorry for holding us up.” 

As she tugged the draeni up the stairs, Nagaira watched them, her brow furrowed in contemplation. Saeryn fell into step beside her. “Something is not right,” she murmured. 

Nagaira grunted her assent. “I should not have left her alone. Something happened to her. And maybe Nyx too.”

Saeryn began twisting at her fingers. “What do we do?”

“For now? We just watch her. Without knowing what happened, I can’t possibly remedy it.”

The pair followed Vixna and Arré into the stairwell. It was barely lit, with candles placed in intervals to provide light in place of windows. The steps wound up to a platform leading into the next floor. Their footfalls echoed in the silence. 

“I hope every staircase won’t be like this,” Vixna said lowly. “This will get tedious very fast.”

“Perhaps that is the point,” Nagaira said. 

Vixna scowled into the darkness ahead. “Terrible,” she mumbled so that only Arré would hear. “You should carry me the rest of the way.”

Arré laughed at her, bumping her with her shoulder. “If I do that for you, what will you do for me?” she asked with a wink. 

The stairs opened into a long empty hall. There were tapestries hanging from the walls and even more candles lighting their way. Vixna dropped Arré’s arm to examine the intricate designs.

Saeryn stepped beside Arré, looking up and down the hall. “You said that Nyx went ahead?”

Arré nodded. “She probably kept going to keep our path clear.” Saeryn pressed her lips together and let her go. 

Vixna noticed three chests along the walls. She stopped and knelt before them, brushing her fingers against the lock. She looked to call Arré over in the hopes that she might be willing to crack these open for her, but the wood elf had already moved ahead. 

“Milady?” Nagaira knelt beside her. 

Vixna let out a small sigh. “I know, they could be rigged. But maybe Arré would be able to bypass any traps or something.”

Nagaira chuckled softly. “Come now, milady. We can see about those on our way out.”

The draeni gave her friend a full grin, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Nagaira turned to follow the path Saeryn and Arré had taken, and after another glance at the chests, Vixna followed her. 

The hall opened into a small room with a small table with an alchemist kit and a longer table with a few vials and bags of ingredients. Saeryn and Nagaira passed through without a second glance, heading into another hall lined with tapestries, but Vixna lingered. Nothing happened when she touched the vials or looked into the bags of ingredients, so she slipped them into her bag before following. 

The next room was larger, crammed with ingredients and potions. Vixna had to temper her curiosity and moved ahead into the next hallway, which was flanked by two suits of armor. Arré was waiting at the foot of the stairs, while Saeryn and Nagaira stood in the doorway. 

Vixna’s skin flushed. “Sorry to slow us down,” she told them. 

Arré gave her a wicked grin. “You haven’t slowed us down.” She held her hand out for the draeni. “Shall we?” Vixna smiled and took the proffered hand, while Nagaira and Saeryn lingered a few steps behind. 

They were halfway up the stairs when Saeryn cried out. Vixna turned at the sound. “What’s wrong?” She saw Nagaira grasping Saeryn’s arm as a pink vine wrapped itself around the blade dancer’s ankle and tried to pull her down. “Hungry Ivy,” Vixna murmured to herself. She allowed her gaze to drift up and then she shouted, “Hold your breath!”

Nagaira obeyed instantly. Arré tilted her head up in curiosity before following suit. Saeryn attempted to, but the vine wrapped up the length of her body rapidly, coiling tight so she couldn’t breathe. It squeezed until she gasped for air when a cloud of pollen fell around them, inhaling the powder. 

Vixna climbed the stairs to escape the pollen cloud before taking a deep breath. She murmured a spell and fire glowed between her palms. She guided it around Saeryn’s body, searing the vines from the dark elf. She cast another spell, this one driving a small force of wind down the staircase, scattering the pollen with it. 

With the pollen gone, Nagaira glared above her, looking for the source. The culprit was a blue plant with pink vines hanging from the ceiling. Nagaira blasted it with a fireball, waiting for the plant to burn before moving on. She knelt beside Saeryn and asked, “Are you well?”

“I--I’m not sure,” she answered, panting as Nagaira helped to steady her. 

“Your skin is warm,” Nagaira felt her forehead with the back of her palm. 

“Aching Ivy,” Vixna said to them, still staring at the ceiling. “It releases heat pollen. It’ll make you hotter and more aroused the longer you go without...release.” She pointed towards where the first vine’s remains were. “That was a  Hungry Ivy. It’s supposed to hold you down for the Aching Ivy to dust you, and then they feed off the fluids together.”

“Isn’t that just pleasant?” Arré sneered at the charred remains. The rest turned towards her. “We should keep moving before something worse comes along,” she added quickly.

Vixna nodded in agreement. She looked back at the two dark elves. “Can you walk?” she asked Saeryn.

“I’ve got her,” Nagaira answered, bracing Saeryn against her. With a whimper and a nod from Saeryn, Nagaira helped her walk the rest of the steps onto the third floor. Vixna gave the room they entered a cursory look and realized that, aside from another mirror on the wall, there was nothing in the room and nowhere to set Saeryn to try and help her. Nagaira let Saeryn lean against the wall. She was still panting, squirming, and her face flushed. 

There was a dull thud, one that Nagaira felt was very familiar. “Did anyone hear that?” she asked. 

“Must still be Nyx,” Arré said. 

“Nagaira, can you make sure the floor is clear?” Vixna asked as she knelt beside Saeryn, who’d slid into a sitting position against the wall. 

“Of course.”

“I’ll come too,” Arré offered. Nagaira’s eyes narrowed as she took in the wood elf. Arré gave her a toothy grin. “No one should be wandering here alone, right?”

Nagaira hesitated. “Of course,” she admitted. “Please be careful, my lady,” she said, her eyes still assessing the wood elf before her. 

Vixna smiled. “We’ll be fine.”

Nagaira pressed her lips together, but gestured for Arré to lead the way. 

The next room contained a long wooden table scattered with leafs of paper and capped inkwells. Another table was covered in books and a globe that charted the stars. _This would be a haven for someone like Vixna_ , Nagaira thought to herself.  Books lined a wall, and there were more tapestries and yet another mirror. 

“There have been many mirrors in this place,” Nagaira murmured. 

Arré hummed to herself. “Is that an odd thing? Maybe whoever lives here is just that vain.”

“Perhaps.” Nagaira turned from the mirror, only to pause when she heard another thump. “There is that sound again.” 

“Must be Nyx!” Arré said immediately. She moved to the doorway. “She must have found something. We should try and catch up.”

Nagaira stepped away from the mirror, watching the wood elf. When Arré rounded the corner, she heard the sound again, an incessant banging. It was not, as she’d suspected, coming from the direction she had gone. She looked around the room with a critical eye. She ran a hand over the walls, looking for a false wall or a hidden door. 

She’d traversed the entire room and found herself standing before the mirror again. She gasped in shock when she saw, in place of her reflection, Arré. The wood elf was banging against the glass, from what appeared to be the inside of the mirror with Nyx at her side. Her lips were moving, but Nagaira couldn’t make out what she was saying. 

Arré?” Nagaira approached the mirror with caution. “How did you get in there?”

* * *

 

“Saeryn?” Vixna said softly, laying a  hand across the dark elf’s forehead. She was warm, but not yet feverish. If ignored, she knew it would take a turn for the worse, and deep in the tower wasn’t the best place to be ill. “Are you with me? Can you focus?”

Saeryn’s eyes clenched tightly. “Yes,” she lied.

“You’re going to need release for this to pass,” Vixna told her gently. “The longer you wait, the worse it will get, and it will take longer to take care of. You could try to do it yourself, if you think you can.” Saeryn bit her lip and she squirmed, pressing herself into the wall. Vixna hesitated. “Or if you want, I can try to help you.”

Saeryn opened her eyes, bright green and unfocused. “Arré?” she whimpered. 

“Arré scouted ahead with Nagaira. Should I go and find her?”

Saeryn seemed to try to burrow into the wall with all her wriggling, but she managed to snag Vixna’s hand. “No. H-help me? Please?” 

Vixna sat, bracing her own back into the wall and pulling the dark elf into her lap. “Of course,” she told her, brushing Saeryn’s silver hair from her face. “Just relax. I’ll take care of you.”

Saeryn leaned back against Vixna’s chest, allowing her eyes to drift close. She was still panting, her chest heaving with the motion, beads of sweat gathering along her chocolate skin. Vixna murmured a spell as she passed her hand over Saeryn’s body. A gentle breeze caressed the dark elf, and she let out a soft sigh. 

“That’s it,” Vixna said softly. “That’s better.” She trailed her fingers down Saeryn’s chest, slipping off the thin fabric holding her breasts. Saeryn arched into the motion with abandon, whimpering until the draeni brushed her nipples with warm fingertips. 

Saeryn shivered at the contact, whimpering for more. Vixna flicked and rubbed her nipples, kneading her breasts softly, teasing her until Saeryn whined. Vixna’s tail wound around the pair, teasingly brushing over dark nipples as her hands wandered down the dark elf’s body. Vixna’s hands trailed down Saeryn’s curves, to her hips, across her toned stomach. Vixna pulled aside the black cloth that served to cover Saeryn and slipped her hand between her thighs, finding her wet and wanting. Saeryn thrust at Vixna’s hand, needy sounds wrenched from her throat. 

Vixna stroked Saeryn slowly, earning a low moan for her efforts. The dark elf spread her thighs, her hands groping until she found Vixna’s legs on either side of her and grabbed hold. 

“Do you need more?” Vixna asked her. She allowed her fingers to move even lower, hovering near Saeryn’s entrance. “Do you want…”

“No!” Saeryn gasped, her nails digging into Vixna’s thighs. “Please! Just...just this.”

Vixna pulled her fingers back. “Whatever you want, Sae,” she cooed. Her fingers circled Saeryn’s clit again, pulsing rapidly against her. Saeryn squirmed in her arms and Vixna’s tail brushed her nipples more quickly, her remaining hand stroking Saeryn’s skin where she could. Saeryn pressed a fist to her mouth before crying out, her body quaking as she found her release. She sagged against Vixna’s body and the draeni pressed her free hand to her forehead. “How do you feel?”

Saeryn bit her lip. “Not...not quite…”

“Better?” Vixna offered. “That’s alright. Once more should do it.”

* * *

 

Nagaira stood before the mirror as the pieces began to fall together. Somehow, she realized, Arré was trapped on the other side of the glass and a doppelganger must have taken her place. 

“What’s wrong?” Nagaira heard. She turned to see Arré in front of her, approaching slowly. “Why are you…” she trailed off as she realized where Nagaira was standing. “I see.”

Nagaira unsheathed her blade, eyes locked on the impostor. “Indeed.”

The fake crossed her arms, frowning at the dark elf. “I don’t know why you even care. You don’t like the real one anyways. Now you don’t have to be bothered with her.”

“Perhaps I would be more convinced if I wasn’t gaining an enemy in her place,” she replied. 

“An enemy?” ‘Arré’s’ eyes widened in surprise. “Who says we have to be enemies? I don’t want a fight. I just needed to get free.” She gestured at the mirror. “I can leave and you’ll never have to worry about me again.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Nagaira’s tone was flat. 

 “It’s true,” the doppelganger insisted. She moved forward slowly, her eyes darting between Nagaira, her blade and the mirror behind her. She raised her hands in surrender. “I don’t want a fight,” she repeated. “No one even has to know. You worried about her taking Vixna or getting her hurt? You won’t have to if you let me go. You don’t need to worry about forgiving her when you know you don’t want to. You can even have Saeryn! Just...let me go.”

Nagaira grimaced. “I don’t think Saeryn would be pleased with that.” 

“But she’d have you to comfort her.” The impostor moved yet closer and Nagaira slid her blade back into its sheath. She smiled her toothy grin and Arré began to bang on the glass furiously. 

“You mean that?” Nagaira asked her. “You’ll leave them both to me?”

“Of course! Whatever you want!”

Nagaira held out her hand. The fake looked at it skeptically. “To seal the pact,” she said. 

The impostor sagged with relief. She clasped Nagaira’s hand. “Thank you.”

Nagaira gave the doppelganger a small smile. “Thank you,” she replied, tugging forcefully on her and shoving her into the mirror. 

Arré, still banging on the glass of her prison, tumbled forward, launching herself into Nagaira’s arms. Nyx followed at her heels, whining as she hit the floor. 

“Are you well?” Nagaira asked, holding Arré out and looking her over for signs of damage. 

“Yeah,” she managed, her voice shaking. She held onto Nagaira tightly, her eyes locking onto Nagaira’s. “I thought...I thought you might leave me in there.”

Nagaira shook her head. “I could never trust the word of an enemy so simply,” she said. “Besides, she was incorrect.”

“About what?”

Nagaira let the wood elf go, looking away from her sapphire eyes. “I do not dislike you to such a degree that I would attempt to...replace you.” She frowned. 

“I thought you hated me after--.”

“No.” Nagaira shook her head. “I was...It was embarrassing to be so...easily...overcome. It was wounded pride more than anything.” 

Arré let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Nagaira. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” 

Nagaira nodded her assent and gestured back the way she’d come, back to their companions. “I just have one question. How did you end up in the mirror in the first place?”

* * *

 

Saeryn slumped over in relief, her body now coming down from the pollen. Vixna sat beside her cross-legged, delicately wiping her fingers with a handkerchief. Her tail twitched in deft strokes, briefly stroking against Saeryn’s forehead. “Your temperature is coming down,” she noted. “I think you will be just fine.”

Saeryn still glistened with sweat, her expression both tired and sated. She made to respond, to thank Vixna for being there for her when she heard a sharp gasp. 

“Saeryn!” Arré rushed from Nagaira’s side, Nyx at her heels. She cradled the blade dancer’s head in her hands, her hair a curtain for the two as she knelt between her thighs. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she repeated, eyes roaming her body, looking for any sign of injury. When their eyes met, Arré lunged for her, capturing Saeryn’s lips with her own. Saeryn met hers with a happy sigh.

Vixna tilted her head in confusion and turned to Nagaira. 

“Those sounds I kept hearing was Arré, trapped in the mirrors in this place.” Nagaira gave a dirty glance at the mirror across from them. “The person we thought was Arré was an impostor.”

“What?” Vixna exclaimed, turning to face Arré, who had been shoved away from Saeryn by Nyx. The wolf brushed against the dark elf before settling in her lap. Saeryn let out a soft laugh, petting Nyx while Arré sat beside her. “It does make sense, thinking back.”

Saeryn turned to her companion. “I knew something was wrong. Forgive me for not being the one to save you.”

Arré shook her head. “You had your own problems. I’m just sorry I wasn’t here to keep you safe.” She turned to Vixna. “What exactly happened?”

“Heat pollen. It causes fever and arousal.”

Arré turned to Saeryn with worry etched on her face. Saeryn offered her a weak smile. “It’s alright. Vixna helped me...work out the symptoms. According to her, I should be alright soon.”

“I’m sorry,” Arré offered again. “I should have been here.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Vixna moved to lean on Nagaira’s side. “You take your time. Nagaira and I will scout ahead for a little. A short rest would do us all some good.”


	6. Hythonia's Tower Part 2 (Day 3)

Nagaira began to travel back the way she’d come with Arré. Vixna made to follow but turned to spare herself a glance at the wood elf and her companion. Arré made herself comfortable, cross-legged on the floor. Gingerly, Saeryn crawled into her lap, her head nestled in the crook of her neck. Arré’s arms cradled the bladedancer, her fingertips rubbing soothing circles on her thigh. 

Fingertips grazed Vixna's arm and she turned, face-to-face with Nagaira. “We should let them have a little more time,” she suggested.

Vixna’s tail coiled around her waist as she turned from their companions. “Of course,” she responded, striding through the next hall without even a glance for the sparse trappings. A gasp slipped from her lips when she saw the next room. There were books everywhere, from the bookshelves on the walls to the trunks overflowing with tomes on the floor. There were even tables heavy-laden with books and a large mirror hung above them.

Vixna made her way to the table, transfixed by the books. She focused on one in particular, tracing her finger over the gilded cover. 

“You really ought to be careful with those.” Vixna jumped, her head whipping around to look for the source of the voice. “Up here.” She saw herself waving in the mirror. But she hadn’t been waving. Her reflection laughed at her. “Surprised?”

Nagaira grabbed Vixna’s arm to tug her away from the mirror. She glared at the apparition. “Careful, milady. This is the creature that tried to replace Arré.”

The reflection focused its attention on the dark elf and stuck her tongue out. “Back off, killjoy! I wasn’t talking to you.”

Vixna chuckled lightly. “Now, now. Don’t say anything you can’t take back.” Her gaze wandered back to the books in front of her. “Why should I be careful? Are they cursed?”

The reflection’s tail flicked behind her. “Only if you try to open them. She’s very private.”

“She?” Nagaira asked. She pulled Vixna back, stepping to the mirror. “Who is she? Does she control the Tower?”

The reflection crossed her arms and turned her back on the dark elf. “I’m not talking to you.”

Nagaira narrowed her eyes at Vixna’s reflection. “You tried to trap our friend. I could not let that happen.”

“So?” the reflection snapped. “I was so close to freedom and you snatched it from me! I’m not telling you anything.”

Nagaira snarled, holding her hand up to blast the mirror with magic, but Vixna grabbed her hand, doing her best to pull her companion away from the mirror. “Wait. She might have some valuable information. If she won’t talk to you, perhaps she may talk with me.” Nagaira’s jaw dropped, protectiveness and rage flashing across her face. “Don’t worry. I promise not to let myself get too close.”

Nagaira huffed but relented. “Fine. I will not be far.”

Vixna watched Nagaira stomp off into the next room before turning back to the mirror, her reflection now staring back at her. “So, can you tell me who commands this tower?”

Her reflection sighed, tossing her white hair over her shoulders. “A naga named Hythonia. She was infamous in The Expanse, ruling over it during the war. She’s the reason that human slaves are so common.” The reflection’s tail drooped. “She eventually retired here, but she toys with adventurers when they happen across her path.”

Vixna looked at the mirror intently. “She trapped you here?”

“Yeah. I came here to…” Her voice trailed off and she looked away from the draeni. She cleared her throat. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago. She cursed me and told me that if I wanted to be free, I’d have to steal it.” 

Vixna chewed on her bottom lip absently. “So how does it work, your curse?”

Her reflection gestured at the edges of the mirror. “I’m bound to the mirrors in the Tower. I can move between and them and I can see out of them. I can’t leave until I find someone to take my place.”

“What if someone breaks the mirror? Or steals the mirror?"

“Shattering or stealing a mirror won’t do any good,” her reflection said. “If the mirror broke, I could move to another.” The reflection tapped her horns as she thought. “I suppose if every mirror was destroyed, it would kill me. If the mirror leaves the Tower, I might get sent back to a mirror in the Tower.” The reflection planted a fist on her hip. “No one’s ever tried to take one of these huge mirrors out before.”

Vixna gave her a smile. “You’re being very open about your curse.”

She laughed, mirroring Vixna’s grin. “One of the upsides of the curse is that as long as I can reflect someone, I know everything about them. I know you, Vixna. I’m not afraid of you.” The reflection leaned against the mirror as if it were a window to the outside. “Besides, what do I have to lose telling you how this curse works?”

Vixna nodded in understanding. “Well, what about Hythonia? Ever tried to trap her?”

Her reflection rolled its eyes, her arms folded over her chest. “Of course I’ve tried. She wouldn’t let that happen. I can’t even reach out of a mirror she’s touching.”

“I’ll help you,” Vixna told her reflection. “Well, I’ll try to help you. In exchange you have to help us, too.”

The reflection’s smile split her face and she pumped her arms in the air. “Yes! Thank you! Thank you!”

Vixna held her finger to her lips over her own smile. “Don’t be too excited. Nagaira’s gonna be really mad. And I don’t even want to know how Arré might react.”

“I know, but I’ve been waiting for this for so long! Besides, Arré’s a big old softie, and Nagaira would forgive you for anything. She owes you, after all.” 

Vixna’s smile drooped. “Is there anything we need to know to help you, or the princess for that matter?”

“The chests you pointed out on the second floor,” her reflection reminded her. “I couldn’t open them myself, but in one of them is a hand mirror that I am bound to. Hythonia used to force me to come with her when she...never mind.” The reflection fidgeted nervously. “Needless to say, she used to take me out of the Tower on occasion with the hand mirror. If you get that, you could take me out easily.”

“And the other chests?”

The reflection shrugged. “They belong to the princess. I’m pretty sure the princess doesn’t know anything about them.”

“Why not?”

Behind her, she heard Arré’s voice calling out for her. Her reflection winked before fading into the position that Vixna stood in. “Hey, Vixna?” Arré rounded the corner, with Saeryn close behind. Nyx bounded past, heading into the next stairwell. “What are you doing?”

Vixna waved a hand over the books before her. “I was considering taking some of these with us.” The draeni began to pout. “But they might be cursed.”

Arré offered her a smile. “Were you going to take them?”

“I’d take the whole library if I had the time.”

Saeryn stifled a giggle. “Do you even know what they are?” 

Vixna faced the bladedancer as they approached Nagaira with bright eyes. “Not at all. But that’s the point: to study every single one of them.” The draeni let out a wistful sigh. “Maybe one day I can come back for them.”

* * *

 

The next floor was both the simplest and yet the most extravagant they had seen thus far in the tower. A massive wall divided the room in two. Beyond the open door, they could see an empty bed along the back wall surrounded with piles of gold and jewels. Under the light of the candelabra, there were even more suits of armour, polished and gleaming in the candlelight.  

“Not much here,” Nagaira admitted, surveying the surroundings. “Might as well keep moving.” 

“I want to get a better look around,” Vixna told her, moving towards the open door. 

Nagaira let out a sigh as Saeryn giggled, heading up the stairs. “We can scout ahead a little. Would you mind keeping an eye on her? Make sure she doesn’t get in any trouble?” the dark elf asked Arré. 

“Sure thing.” 

While Arré and Nagaira talked, Vixna slipped into the room, where her reflection began waving at her wildly from a mirror. The draeni approached the mirror. “Are you gonna take anything?” her reflection whispered. 

Vixna placed her hands on her hips and smiled at the mirror. “Don’t you know everything I’m going to do?”

“Well, yeah, but you haven’t made up your mind yet,” she replied, crossing her arms. “That’s why I asked.”

Vixna spared the room another glance. “Is any of it cursed?” 

Her reflection shrugged. “How should I know? I could only tell you that if I was reflecting Hythonia anyway, and believe me, if she were here, that would be the last thing on your mind.” The image huffed, blowing some of her hair out of her face. “Besides, she caught me trying to study her books and things through the mirrors ages ago and removed mirrors from places where she implemented her curses.” She made a face. “I don’t think she liked me being nosy.”

“It’ll be fine,” Vixna reassured her, turning to the open door. “Keep a lookout for us.

“Will do, but there aren’t any mirrors on the top floor. She keeps the princess alone unless she visits her.”

When Vixna emerged, she turned to Arré, who was studying a suit of armor. “Find anything interesting?” Arré asked her, not taking her eyes from the armor. 

“Plenty,” Vixna responded. “There’s even more piles of gold and jewels and chests full of treasure.” Arré’s eyes widened and she approached the doorway. “But it might all be cursed.” 

Arré’s eyes fell before she bit her lip, fidgeting with the pockets on her belt. “Is there a way to check that kind of stuff out?”

Vixna grabbed Arré by the hand, tugging her towards the steps. “I could, but we don’t know what’s ahead. I might need that magic for something else.” She rushed up the stairs, dragging the wood elf behind until they emerged on the next floor. 

“Are you alright?” Arré asked. “You’re being kinda…”

Nagaira approached, gently pulling at Vixna’s grip on Arré’s wrist. “She’s fine. She’s just excited now. She’s going to be twice as reckless now.”

“Am not!” Vixna pouted, as she bounced on the balls of her feet. 

Saeryn stood beside Arré, absently patting Nyx’s head. “Why are you so excited?”

Vixna stopped bouncing around and grasped Saeryn’s hand. “We’re almost there.”

Where the last floor was simple but opulent and filled with treasure, the top floor was bare and the hall twisted and turned on itself. Even the candlelight was pitiful, and did little to illuminate their shoddy surroundings. Arré took a step forward and her foot brushed against something, kicking it into the nearby wall with a clatter. In a flash, her bow was in hand and she’d let an arrow fly. 

Nagaira reached out, gently touching the wood elf’s wrist and pushing the bow down. Arré swore under her breath. “Sorry. I felt something by my feet. It didn’t feel natural, so I shot without thinking.” She nodded to the dark elf and Nagaira withdrew her hand. 

Arré crouched, inching forward to find what she’d bumped into. She reached out and grasped the shaft of her arrow, pulling it forward. “Well, that’s a cheerful sight,” she murmured, as she hefted up a bleach-white skull that her arrow had pierced through the eye. 

“Aside from the trappings of the tower, this is the first evidence we’ve seen of anyone else having tried to enter.” Nagaira took the skull from Arré’s hand and gently placed it back on the ground. 

“It means we’re close though,” Vixna said. 

“Perhaps,” Saeryn admitted. “But that makes me wonder what exactly caused….him to die?” 

Arré gripped her bow tighter. “There’s only one way to find that out.” At a nod to Saeryn, she drew her blades and Nagaira followed suit. They clustered together and slowly inched their way through the hall, only stopping when they saw the first familiar thing since they’d arrived on the floor: more suits of armor. 

Nagaira approached one of the suits, looking it over intently. “Look at these.” She traced a finger along the suit, noting the dents and scratches that marred the surface. “We’ve seen these on near about every floor we’ve been on. But these are damaged, like they’ve seen pitched battle.” 

Nyx growled low, catching Arré’s attention. “Look here,” she said, kneeling beside the wolf. There were piles of bones, full skeletons littering the ground surrounding the armor. 

Vixna stood beside Nagaira, a hand hovering over the suit of armor. She murmured to herself and the suit glowed a faint blue before fading away. “These are enchanted,” she explained. She looked around to meet everyone’s eyes. “If we haven’t been attacked yet, they are probably here to keep us from escaping once we pass by here. We will have to fight our way out.”

“I don’t relish having to fight on every floor,” Nagaira admitted. 

Saeryn stood beside Nagaira, giving the armor a once over. “There is a chance that, if we move fast enough, we may be able to escape a few without having to fight,” she said. 

Vixna stepped away, making her way further into the hall. “One can only hope.”

They followed the bend until the hall opened into a larger, well-lit room. The room was sparse, but better maintained than the rest of the hall they passed through. There was a table littered with empty bottles and a large, four-post bed, upon which lay a sleeping girl. She looked young, with pale skin and long silver hair. As they filed into the room, they noticed that the girl was clumsily dressed in a skirt and top. As they crossed the threshold, her eyes snapped open, large and yellow. 

“Who are you?” she asked. “Where is Hythonia?”

Vixna stepped forward, crouching at the side of the bed. “My name is Vixna,” she offered with a smile. “Hythonia is not here now. We are here to rescue you.”

“Rescue?” The girl’s gaze passed over everyone in the room before her eyes locked back on Vixna. 

Vixna nodded enthusiastically. She studied the girl for a moment. “You’re a vampire.” 

“Yes.”

“What’s your name?”

The girl shrugged. “Hythonia calls me Morgana.”

Nagaira snagged Vixna’s wrist and pulled her back from the bed. “How old are you, child?”

Morgana tilted her head, her eyes now focused on the dark elf as she sat up. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I don’t know anything but what Hythonia tells me. And I’m hungry. I’m so hungry.” Her eyes began to shift and she began to shudder. “The bottles are empty and I’m so hungry.”

“My lady,” Nagaira murmured, but Vixna held up her free hand and shook her head once. The dark elf released her and Vixna returned to the bed, placing a hand against Morgana’s forehead. 

“What did Hythonia tell you?” she asked. 

“She told me that she got me from the snowlands. Said it was freezing but she’d never had a vampire before, so the journey was worth it.” 

“Yanime,” Vixna offered. She turned to Arré and Saeryn. “The vampires claimed the ice and snow of Yanime ages ago. I don’t know much about the land though. The vampires are...secretive, to say the least. Isolated.” 

“And for good reason,” Nagaira added. 

Vixna frowned. “Good reason or not, that just makes it that much harder to return her where she belongs.”

“This is all very important,” Arré interjected. “But perhaps we should figure all this out after we get out of here.”

Vixna nodded. “You’re right.” She turned to Morgana. “I know it might be hard to believe, but you are a princess. Princess of Yanime, to be specific. And I want to do whatever it takes to get you back home. Would you like that?” Morgana nodded her head enthusiastically. Vixna smiled, gathering her hair over one shoulder, exposing her neck. “I’m going to let you feed from me, alright? You’ll need your strength.”

“And what of your strength?” Nagaira asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“I’ll be fine, Nagaira. I can heal myself before we go,” Vixna explained. “Besides, she can barely hold herself up in here. It’s the middle of the day; she’ll be weak enough with the sun out.”

Nagaira sighed. “You are too good for this world.”

Vixna flashed her friend a bright grin before seating herself on the bed next to Morgana. She opened her arms to the vampire. “Don’t take too much, please.”

Morgana watched the draeni for a moment before crawling into Vixna’s lap. She straddled Vixna, pressing her face into her neck and sinking her fangs into the pink skin she found there. Vixna groaned softly, her eyes fluttering shut as she grabbed the vampire by the shoulders, holding her close. Morgana slurped hungrily and was slow to pull away from the draeni. Vixna’s head lolled to the side, and Morgana’s tongue flicked out to catch the stray drops of blood dripping from the bite. 

Nagaira moved to support Vixna. “Milady? Are you alright?”

Morgana cupped the draeni’s cheeks, forcing her to look the vampire in the eye. “Heal yourself.”

Under her breath, Vixna murmured the spell and the wound on her neck began to close. Her eyes fluttered and then began to blink regularly. She began to sit up on her own, and she offered Nagaira a small smile. 

Morgana leaned back in Vixna’s lap, still holding the draeni’s gaze. “Did I hurt you?” 

Vixna’s arms wrapped around the girl’s waist. “Don’t you worry about that. Do you feel better?”

 Morgana nodded. 

“If she is well, we shouldn’t stay any longer than necessary,” Saeryn warned. “We’ll have enough trouble without waiting for Hythonia to return.”

Nagaira lifted Morgana out of Vixna’s lap before offering her hand to Vixna. Vixna gathered herself before allowing Nagaira to help her to her feet. Nagaira knelt before the vampire. “Can you fight?”

“Yes,” Morgana answered. “At least...it feels like I can.”

Nagaira reached into Vixna’s bag and retrieved a club, holding it out for Morgana. “Can you use this?” The vampire took the weapon tentatively. She gave it a few test swings, her grip tightening on the weapon. She looked at Nagaira and nodded her assent. “Keep to the rear, milady. Saeryn and I will take point. Arré, please keep an eye on the...princess,” she added. 

Arré readied her bow, grabbing a few arrows in her free hand. “Sure thing. Behind me, if you would.” 

Morgana moved behind the wood elf and Saeryn drew her blades. Nagaira gave Saeryn a curt nod and the two made their way into the hall, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Saeryn gave her friend a brief nod before moving into the hall.  The two dark elves led the way, inching along silently through the hall. It had been quiet when they traversed it earlier, but now that they were leaving, the quiet was suffocating. 

Nagaira and Saeryn reached the bend where the suits of armor were, stopping suddenly. Arré raised her bow. “What’s going on, Sae?” 

“Looks like Vixna was right,” Saeryn muttered, waving Arré forward. 

Arré inched her way forward, Nyx loping to her side until she could see into the chamber, where the suits of armor were. They were still there, she noted, though when they came through this way the first time they were standing against the walls and not in the middle of the hall, blocking their path. 

Nyx snarled. “Run into a bit of a roadblock, I see,” Arré translated. The suits drew their weapons and crossed them in the path. The message was clear: **Do Not Pass.**

Nagaira grit her teeth. “We don’t have the time for this,” she muttered. Her eyes locked on Saeryn. “We break the line, give Vixna and Arré the time to push ahead, then cover the retreat.”

Saeryn nodded. She gripped her blades tightly. “There isn’t much room to maneuver here.”

Vixna stepped forward. “Is it room you want?” she asked, a small grin playing on her face. She began to chant as a sharp wind picked up, slamming into the suits of armor and blasting them back. 

Nyx’s body constricted, about to leap into the fray, but Arré held up a free hand to stop the wolf. “No, Nyx. You won’t be able to do any damage here. Stay back and protect Vixna and the princess.”

Nagaira sprinted at the first suit of armour, swinging her scimitar overhead. The armor moved with supernatural speed, deflecting the blow with its sword and jabbing the pommel into her stomach. Nagaira doubled over, gasping for breath. The armor slashed at her, but Nagaira managed to roll away and regain her feet. An arrow flashed by, catching the armor in the gauntlet, pinning the sword into the wall. Nagaira slashed at the armor, striking it in the shoulder. Her blow clanged off, the force causing her to grimace and retreat. 

“That armor is tough,” she realized. “I can’t cut through this.”

Vixna reached into her bag, tossing a quarterstaff to the dark elf. “Maybe you can’t cut it, but perhaps you could smash it?”

Nagaira spared her a smile and she sheathed her sword. “My thanks, milady.” 

The armor reached back, snatching the sword from the gauntlet embedded into the wall. It swept the area with its backswing, battering Saeryn’s guard and pushing her back against the wall. The second armor shoved Saeryn into the wall with a crack, choking her with its halberd. Desperately, the bladedancer kicked out at the armor, but it was like kicking a stone wall. Her sight began to blur as her breath came in shallow gasps.  

Suddenly, Arré was there, bracing herself against the wall, pulling at the halberd. “Come on, Sae, don’t quit on me yet,” she grit out, tugging with all her might. Little by little, the wood elf edged the weapon away from the wall, just enough for Saeryn to drop to her knees, gasping. Arré propelled herself off the wall, landing between the two armors. The halberd flashed out at her, but she deftly leapt to the side. The halberd slammed into the other armor, gouging a deep gash into the breastplate. 

Nagaira thrust her hand forward, mouthing the words to a spell and causing a bubble to form. The bubble burst with a pop, splashing acid along the greaves and forcing it to drop to its knees. Nagaira heard Nyx growl and turned to defend herself when a blur flashed by the dark elf abruptly, and a large crack resounded through the hall. The armor shattered into pieces  and standing where the armor had been was Morgana, hefting her club overhead. 

Arré loosed arrow after arrow, forcing the remaining armor to focus on her while Saeryn recovered, her chest heaving with the sharp intake of air. Her arrows were largely ineffective, glancing off of the armor or sticking out of joints like quills and she was forced to slowly back up to keep out of its grasp. It reached for her, swiping heavy gauntlets at the wood elf, and she quickly found herself backed into a wall. From the other side of the hulking form, she heard a grunt, followed by a clatter as the armor’s arm dropped to the ground. Saeryn danced between the two, her blades flicking and slashing at the armor, carving deep marks into the helmet and breastplate and hacking limbs apart. The bladedancer and the archer shared a look, one that said more than they could have on their own.

Vixna led the rest of the party to Arré and Saeryn. She clapped her hands together, her tail whipping behind her quickly. “That was amazing!” she gushed. 

“I agree,” Nagiara added. She turned to face Saeryn. “How did you cut through that armor?” she asked her. “That armor was so tough that it would have blunted my sword, and that is a weapon I have faithfully used and cared for over many years.”

Saeryn made to answer when Nyx let out a low growl. “Nyx is right,” Arré told them, translating for the wolf. “We can talk about all of this once we get out of here.”

Nagaira nodded her assent, guiding them to the stairs. “We should have little problem making it to the third floor. The stairs on the next floor are close enough that we shouldn’t have to fight at all if we keep moving. There were no suits of armor on the third floor, and we can rest there a little.”

“You sure? About the third floor, I mean?” Arré asked her as they began to descend. 

“I am.” 

Vixna offered Arré a smile. “Nagaira’s memory is infallible.”

“You always give me such praise,” Nagaira said, allowing a small smile to touch her own lips. 

“And I always will,” Vixna answered.

 


End file.
